Unexpected Delays
by catesy
Summary: Alice finds herself stuck in Wonderland until the mirror can be fixed. What will she and the other oysters do? Alice/Hatter
1. Chapter 1

Unexpected Delays

Alice hadn't known what to expect from their conversation at the Looking Glass but awkwardness had not been it. Her relationship with Hatter had been a complete mix of just about every emotion she could think of, coming lighting fast in the span of three days, and ending in friendship/maybe I like you.

At least thats how she felt. Instead she was standing in front of Hatter while he rattled on about the good times in between the bad. After a brief silence she found equally awkward and strained sentences falling from her mouth and doubt was beginning to settle uncomfortably in her stomach.

As the Looking Glass technician lead her away from Hatter it was more relief than sadness that filled her. The whole line about "lots of other things" had just slipped out. As soon as the words were out of her mouth and she saw Hatters eyes widen, she wished she could scoop them back up and away from his ears. She had felt the heat rise to her cheeks and was grateful for being turned away from him before he could see her embarrassment. Of course that thought was quickly gone when she was lead up the small landing and straight to the Looking Glass.

She could feel the technician's hand at her back as he told her to force herself to breathe. She was given a hearty push straight into the mirror and was just a shocked as everyone else when her face hit the glass with a thud and her whole body bounced slightly away from the smooth surface.

Complete silence filled the room as if no one could believe what had just happened. Alice moved her hands to her nose which ached slightly from the impact seconds before. "Ow."

At her utterance the spell that had enveloped the room disappeared. Everything seemed to happen at once. Jack and various technicians begin messing around with the box that held the ring of Wonderland, every Oyster in the room erupted in a string of questions about what had just happened, and somewhere, she could hear Charlie beginning his dark arts chant.

Then suddenly she was pulled back as Hatter stepped in front of her. The technician who had moments before escorted her to the mirror was now shoved up against its frame with Hatters hand fisted in his lab coat.

"What the hell do you think your doing shoving her like that? Have ya any idea who she is?"

Alice reached for Hatter's hand that was holding the confused man against the gold frame. "Hatter let him go."

Hatter gave the man one last shove before releasing him and turning toward Alice. His hands cupped her chin and turned her face up to him. "Are you ok? You're not hurt are ya?"

She was about to tell him of course she was ok but stopped when she felt a trickle of blood flow from her nose and down her lips.

"Bloody hell." he said in a harsh whisper and he pulled a cloth from his pocket and wiped at her face.

"Please everyone calm down!"

Alice held the cloth up to her nose and she and Hatter both turned to see Jack addressing the crowd. They had all grouped up around the mirror and there were a few suits pushing them back away from the king. "It seems there needs to be a few adjustment to the mirror, I can assure you our technical staff has this matter under control."

No matter how confident Jack's voice was or how regal his stance may have been, it did nothing to reassure the small mob before him. Questions continued to be shouted. How long will it take? Do you intend to keep us here? Are we even safe here? Why should we trust you? Where will we stay?

That last one was a good question. Where would all these people stay? There were plenty of buildings here in the city but Alice had no idea what most of them held. Even if Wonderland had the equivalent of hotels here they would need over 500 rooms, and that was if everyone doubled up. She herself hadn't counted how many people had fled the Casino but she knew there were still Scarabs flying at full capacity transporting people to the city.

"Please just give us a moment." Jack had motioned to Ten and a few other clubs to follow him out of the room.

Though they weren't asked Hatter and Alice followed. The room they entered was just off the main hall and held only a desk and a few chairs.

Whether Jack wanted them there or not didn't seem to be an issue. "Alice, shut the door." She closed the door behind her and focused on the king

"Whats wrong with the mirror?" asked Hatter starring across the room at Jack

Jack crossed his arms defensively across his chest. "The mirror, needs to be calibrated to send the Oysters back to the correct time and place. Normally it holds those connections within itself so return trips can be made. Someone however, seems to have wiped the mirror clean. The connections have been lost so the technicians will have to reestablish a path to the other world first before anyone can go through."

"How long will it take?" asked Alice.

Jack hesitated a bit before answering her. "It's hard to say. It could be a few weeks or possibly a few months."

"What are you going to do Jack?"

Jack sat on the edge of the empty desk and ran his hand through his blond hair. "Ten? How many people can we hold in the palace?"

Ten nervously wrung his hands "There are one hundred and thirty two rooms at the palace, if you count all the meeting rooms, dining and seating areas. We may be able to house three hundred"

Jack shook his head slightly. "There are far more Oysters than that."

A Club Alice had never seen before spoke. "Housing them is not our largest concern. Providing food and water will be our biggest problem. Most of our resources went down with the Casino."

"You're forgetting the Tea heads."

At the sound of his voice, all eyes turned to Hatter. "News of the Casino being destroyed and you taking the throne is going to spread like wildfire. Every junkie out there is going to hoard whatever emotions they can get their hands on and when they find out the Oysters are stuck here, they're going to go right to the tap."

"He's correct," said another Club "We mustn't let anyone know the Oysters are trapped here."

Alice spoke up "How exactly are you going to hide a thousand plus people?"

Jack stood and attempted to regain some control of the conversation. "Ok, first let's redirect the Scarabs and begin taking women and children to the palace. Alice, we'll be sure to get you on the first trip."

"No."

"No?" said Jack clearly confused.

Next to her Hatter only threw his hands up in exasperation. "Alice, don't argue. It's the safest place for ya now."

Alice shook her head. "No, I can take care of myself. Besides, you said it yourself, you don't have enough room for everyone. I'm not going to take space away from any of those people."

Jack moved across the room and took her hands in his. "Alice, you more than anyone deserves to be looked after. Where else would you go?"

Alice looked down at where their hands were joined and then up at Hatter. He was looking away off into the corner of the room staring at nothing. She pulled her hands away from Jack giving him a small smile.

"Hatter?" He looked at her, his expression pretty much blank. She had to admit, he had a good poker face. "You have a couch at your shop right? Mind if I crash there for a few days?"

That seemed to catch Hatter off guard and he stammered for a moment before answering her. "Sure, if I have a shop left that is."

Jack motioned towards one of the Clubs. "Take a few Suits and escort lady Alice and Hatter through the city." The club nodded and opened the door, holding it for Alice and Hatter to follow him out.

Alice moved to leave when she felt Jack grab hold of her arm. "You won't reconsider will you?" Alice looked back at him and shook her head no.

"Ok" he said "I'll be sending Suits to check in on you and keep you updated on the mirror situation. If you need anything just let them know, they'll be sure to get it for you."

She nodded and smiled at him. "Thank you Jack."

When they left the room Alice spotted Charlie across the hall. His fingers were rubbing small circles in his temple and he was humming softly. She walked up behind him and tapped him on his shoulder.

"Charlie?"

Hatter stepped in front of Charlie "Charlie!" he shouted clapping his hands in front of the old man's face.

"Hmm?" Charlie grunted and dropped his hands from his head. "Harbinger, lady Alice. I was just consulting the dark arts to find what could be behind the mirror's malfunction."

Alice smiled up at him. "Well thank you for that but could you do me a bigger favor now?"

Charlie snapped to attention, his armor clanking noisily. "I will do whatever you ask of me Alice of legend."

"Good, the Scarabs are going to be taking a lot of these people to the palace, could you go with them to make sure everyone is taken care of and treated ok?"

Charlie bowed slightly. "It will be my honor to look after your people lady Alice. But where will you be?"

She gestured towards Hatter. "I'll be staying here in the city with Hatter for now."

"Then I will leave you in the care of your harbinger."

Alice moved to hug the old knight. "Thanks Charlie."

With that Alice and Hatter left the mirror hall.

A/n

Ok, so I have a few ideas for this story. It should be about 6 to 7 chapters long. I'm not going to trap Alice in Wonderland but I like the idea of her being able to explore a bit without having to fear for her life. And we all know we want her and Hatter to spend more time together. Next chapter should be up by this weekend.

On another note I know the show only showed a small number of Oysters at the end but really there must have been a lot more than that to supply all of Wonderland with emotions. Not sure if it would be more or less than the number I guessed at but for this story thats what I'm going to go with.


	2. Tea House

Tea House

Even with the protection of the Suits Hatter was still on edge. When they left the mirror hall the first thing he did was give her back her coat. Her glow needed to be kept hidden. No one knew what Alice looked like, and no one would recognize her as being 'The Alice', but it wouldn't take long for her mark to be noticed by the wrong people.

The Tea House was only about a mile from the mirror hall but to Alice the walk seemed to take forever. She had been fighting her fears the whole time she had been in Wonderland. While a few of them had been beaten back into submission, it was her fear of highs that simply wouldn't leave her. This was despite having flown a flamingo miles above the ground, by choice, alone, through a forest and over a lake.

Still the thought of walking on a sidewalk who's curb ended in a ten story drop was terrifying. She stayed close to the walls of the buildings as they walked. She was grateful Hatter stayed next to her and blocked her view of the drop-off as much as he could. They traveled in silence. Hatter seemed intent on their surroundings. Even with the extra protection of the suits he was still afraid of being spotted or followed.

When they reached the Tea House the club, who'd told her his name was Nine, insisted on the Suits searching the building for any signs of danger before allowing them access. When the men were in the building and out of sight, Alice leaned against the wall and look up at Hatter. He was still watching the way they had come.

"Hatter, I think you can relax now, no one is following us."

He glanced at her quickly then continued watching the path to the Tea House. "I'll relax when we're safe and inside."

Alice walked over and gently placed her hand on his arm. "Hatter its ok, no one knows we're here or that I'm an Oyster. I'm sure the past three days have left you on edge but for now I think we're out of danger."

Hatter laughed and shook his head slightly and then flashed her a smile. "If I were alone it wouldn't matter. But with you? Alice, danger sniffs you out like a blood hound after a rabbit."

"That is so not funny!" she said and pushed him away.

It was just supposed to be a playful shove to get him back for that last remark. However as soon as her hand met his side he grunted in pain and pulled away from her, backing up slightly as he did.

"Hatter, whats wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Na I'm fine, just a little sore, been through a lot the last day or so. It's nothing to worry about."

She was going to argue with him but the Suits' return interrupted her. They had finished the search and Nine assured them the building was empty. Alice thanked them and Nine informed her they would be back tomorrow evening per Jack's orders.

When they entered the shop, the entranceway was dark, just as it had been her first time here. Behind her she could hear Hatter latching the door and working on the locks. She walked from the entrance and out onto the trading floor. The damage was a bit worse than she expected. The last time she had been here this place had been filled with the noise and the voices of tea traders and buyers. Now the only sound was of her feet walking across the broken glass.

It room was still as dimly lit as she remembered it. Most of the light was shining out from behind the glass shelves along the back wall. The shelves that had once held bottled emotions were now empty, most of them smashed. The ticker taker showing the value of Tea still ran at the head of the room even though it was now only hanging by one side from the ceiling.

Alice heard crunching glass behind her and knew Hatter was taking in the same destruction as she was. She turned and watched him looking over the broken shelves, the upturned tables and shattered glass.

"Well," he stated, flashing her a small smile "At least they didn't burn it to the ground." He strode past her and made his way toward his office.

His office suffered just as much as the front. His desk had been ransacked, drawers been pulled out and emptied, papers lay everywhere. His chair was over turned and the back sliced open. The grass carpet had been trampled and patches of it were turning a sickly brown. The wardrobe in the back was empty and no longer held a collection of coats, shoes, and boots. Of course the Tea's kept in the cabinet behind his desk were all gone.

Hatter's cursing pulled her attention away from the chaos and towards his direction at the back door. It seemed he hadn't even stopped to survey the damage. The door must have been pried open because now it wouldn't latch right or stay closed. Hatter had his shoulder pressed against it as he finally managed to slide the bolt lock into place effectively keeping it shut.

"Hatter?"

He turned and looked at her then moved to meet her in the center of the room. "Whats the matter?"

Whats the matter? Did he not have eyes? If she had gone to work to find the dojo in the state this place was in she would have been sick. If it had been her apartment that had been ransacked, her things gone through and stolen she would have been a mess. Yet Hatter seemed like none of it bothered him.

She looked up at him. He was fine but she was going to loose it. "I'm so sorry Hatter, this is all my fault. If it hadn't been for me..."

He interrupted her by placing his hands on her shoulders. "Why? Did you sneak back here and cause all this yourself?"

"No but..."

"Then don't worry about it. Besides" he said as he walked over to pick up his chair "I'm lucky I wasn't here when all this went on. Strange to think of it this way but I was safer in the Casino than my own shop."

He laughed and smiled, obviously trying to make her feel better more so than himself. But he was right, she didn't want to think of what would have happened to him if he had been caught in the riot that happened here.

Hatter sighed, "Come on then. Let's go see if I still have a flat upstairs or not."

Alice followed him back out to the trading room wondering where they were going. "Upstairs where?" she asked. He was walking towards a empty wall and she didn't see any stairs or a way up to a higher floor.

Hatter waited until she was next to him facing the blank wall. Then he begin pressing against it with his hand in several different spots before a door sprang open.

"How did you do that?"

Instead of answering her he simply closed it again and then took her hand. He guided her fingers over depressions in the wall she could feel but not see and lightly pushed each one in. Again the door popped open.

He dropped her hand and stepped through the doorway. "I feel safer if no one knows where I live. Lets me sleep better that way."

Alice pulled the door closed behind her and followed Hatter up the narrow flight of stairs. They entered the door at the top and he flipped on the light. "Ah, thankfully they didn't find it."

His apartment was a large loft area. There was, of course, a hat rack right at the door when you walked in. Beyond that a seating area with two very comfy looking, if not oddly colored, couches. Bookcases lined the walls on the left before they gave way to the kitchen area and a small table and chair set up. To her right was his bed, its chocolate and creme colored blankets still unmade from when he last slept here. There was a door in the back she assumed was the bathroom because it was the only area sectioned off from the rest.

Hatter pulled off his leather jacket, tossing it over the edge of the couch before flopping down onto the cushions beneath him. "It's not much but its home."

Alice walked further into the room still looking around. "Its definitely you." The sound of her heels on the floor made her look down. The room had dark wooden floors and no rugs or carpeting. "What, no grass carpet up here?"

"Na," he said "I was going for a more professional look for the office."

She laughed and wondered how having an office that looked like a greenhouse was considered professional. Of course this was Wonderland and everything here was a bit odd. She looked over at him and saw that he was rubbing his side again.

She walked over and stood in front of him. "You are hurt, aren't you?."

Hatter quickly dropped his hands to his sides. "It's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, you keep saying that. Let me see." She didn't wait for his permission before reaching down and pulling the hem of his shirt up slightly.

"Oh my god!" She said more to herself that to Hatter. The skin over his ribs was bruised, most of his injuries having small burns in their center. "What the hell happened to you? Why didn't you say something?"

Hatter pulled her hands away from his shirt and pushed her back a bit so he could stand next to her. "Look, its nothing ya need to know about. I wish I didn't remember it and I'm sure as hell not going to force you to think about it. Just let it go ok?"

"We have to get you cleaned up before you get infected or something. Take your shirt off."

She didn't wait for his answer and instead went to the bathroom to find something to clean him up with. There she found what might have been a medicine cabinet. It was filled with bottles of varying size and color, all of which had labels stating the name of the product but no information on what it was or its use.

She stood there for a moment before Hatter came up behind her and pulled a bottle off the shelf marked Abdroxin.

"This one" he said "is used for cleaning wounds."

Alice made a small hum of understanding before searching out a few washcloths and running one under warm watter. While she did that Hatter sat down on the edge of the bathtub and removed his tie and shirt. Seeing him in the white of the bathroom lighting only made his skin look more pale than it was. The bruises on his chest looked darker than before and she saw that there were bruises on his arms and his right arm had a large cut.

She knelt in front of him and tried to be gentle as she ran the washcloth over the first of his burns. He gave a sharp intake of breath and she puled back quickly. "Sorry."

"Its ok" he said "It just stings a bit."

Alice nodded and went back to gently cleaning him. The suits must have done this to him. Or maybe it was that rabbit headed man March. No matter who it was that did this to him, these injuries were her fault. If he hadn't been trying to save her, again, he never would have been caught.

They sat in silence for a while, both seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Finally Alice spoke.

"Why didn't you go to see the doctors Jack had treating the injured? They would have been better at this than I am."

"The line was too long," he hissed again at the sting of the cloth "If I had waited around there I would have missed saying goodbye to you."

Alice smiled softly and looked up at him. "Well that was kind of a waste seeing as how I didn't go anywhere."

"I didn't exactly know that now did I?"

She finished with his chest and then held his right hand and started cleaning the cut on his arm. "No, I guess you didn't."

She sighed heavily before speaking again. "What was with that anyways? I mean, the whole thing was just... uncomfortable."

Hatter rolled his eyes "So I'm not so great with goodbyes. Never said I was a smooth talker."

Alice finished with his cut and let go of his hand. She leaned back on her heals. "So was that it then? You were just going to say 'so long, have a nice life, thanks for stopping by'?"

Hatter didn't say anything and he wasn't looking at her. She just sighed again and looked down at the cloth in her hands.

"You weren't going to say goodbye, were you?" She looked up at him to see that he was still looking away from her. "You were leaving when I spotted you. Weren't you? You were going to just let me go. Why?"

Hatter pulled his hat from his head and started nervously twirling it in his hands."Because, you were there with Jack and I didn't...want to interrupt...ya know...the two of you."

Alice watched him sitting there nervously fiddling with the brim of his hat. She shifted on the floor and scooted back so she could rest against the cabinet behind her. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on one knee.

"He wanted me to stay here, he asked me to marry him."

She watched as Hatter snapped his head up to look at her, his hands stopping their movements.

"I told him no. I said that I had changed, that I wanted something different."

This time she was the one looking away. After a moment she heard him stand up. He must have picked up the washcloths and the bottle from the floor because she heard him open the cabinet and place the bottle inside.

When Hatter knelt down next to her she finally looked at him. He reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. "I really did have good intentions. I didn't mean to upset ya, you know that."

He looked down at their hands and than back up at her again. "I'm not good at this."

She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze back. "Neither am I."

"Come on then." He pulled her to her feet and lead her out of the bathroom. "How does a nice hot bath and a change of clothes sound?"

"Like the best idea you've ever had."

a/n

Wow, I'm glad I managed to get this update out in the time I said it would take. One more chapter in the Tea House and than we get to go and explore a few places in Wonderland.

Thanks so much for the reviews and encouragement. It means a lot. I'm also glad that the people who write such wonderful stories find mine enjoyable. :)


	3. Evening

Evening

Alice followed Hatter to his closet. He slid the doors open and she wasn't surprised to see that his wardrobe was about twice the size of hers back home. Most of his shirts were brightly colored and almost all were patterned. He also had a good number of vest which were equally as colorful as his shirts. Hatter was flipping through shirt by shirt trying to find her something she would be comfortable in.

Alice leaned against the framing of the closet and looked up. The shelf above the clothes rack was filled with boxes all the way to the ceiling. There was no way, she thought to herself, that all those have hats in them.

"This outa do." Hatter pulled out a plain short sleeved shirt that was off-white in color and buttoned up in the front.

Alice took the offered shirt. He then grabbed a shirt for himself and put it on without bothering to button it. Hatter than started flipping through the pants that hung on the lower rack of the closet. He came back up with a pair of black drawstring pants that looked like legitimate pajamas.

"So let me get this straight, you own pajama bottoms but no tops?"

Hatter handed her the pants and then closed the closet. "I don't buy the tops because they're uncomfortable to sleep in. I tend to toss and turn a bit and they get all bunched up."

"Well this will be fine. Thank you." She said patting the clothes in her hands and smiling. "Are you sure you don't want to go first? It is your place after all."

Hatter sat down on the edge of his bed and motioned towards the bathroom door. "Oh no, ladies first. Take your time and while you're in there I'll find us something to eat."

Hatter waited until Alice had closed the door and he heard the water running before he went to the kitchen. As much as he hadn't wanted Alice to see his injuries or fuss over him he was grateful to have been cleaned up. The Abdroxin he had her use on him also numbed the skin so it was no longer painful to move.

His search through the fridge only turned up some meat and vegetables. It would have to do until he could get out to shop tomorrow. He hated shopping for food. It was boring and a waste of his time. Maybe if Dormie was still around he could have him run a few errands. Hell, even if Dormie didn't come back he could use the suits. They were ordered to look after Alice and she needed to eat.

Of course it wasn't that he didn't like taking care of Alice or anything. In fact, if he was completely honest with himself he liked looking after her far more then he should. His need to please her and care for her was a whole new kettle of onions for him and honestly it scared him a bit.

He cut up the beef and vegetables and started frying them up in a pan with some butter and seasoning. He set the pan on a simmer and leaned against the counters once again becoming lost in thought. He hadn't heard the sound of Alice's bare feet against the floor. He was still staring off into nothing when she walked into the kitchen.

"You better stir that before it burns."

Her voice snapped him from his thought. He looked up to see her standing near the kitchen table. Her hair was wet and hung limp around her shoulders. Even thought the shirt and pants he gave her were loose, the material tended to cling to her wet skin here and there.

He was just contemplating how much it reminded him of the day they met when her words registered in his brain. "Oh right!" he said quickly before stirring the food in the pan.

Alice walked over to the stove and stood next to him. "You want me to keep an eye on that so you can shower?"

"That'd be nice." he said. He handed her the spoon than took the kettle from the back burner and moved to the sink to fill it. "I'll just get some tea going and by the time I get out we should be all set."

Alice flipped the meat and the vegetables around in the pan. "Just don't scrub too hard at your wounds, you'll rip them open again."

Hatter reached over her and returned the kettle to the back burner. Then he placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on her waste. He leaned forward towards her ear. "I have been injured before love, I know how to take care of myself."

For a moment he entertained the idea of leaning in and kissing her. Just on the cheek, nothing serious. He thought better of it however and pulled away. When he did Alice glanced back at him over her shoulder. He just shot her a dimpled smile and went to take his shower.

By the time he was done Alice had finished cooking and even managed to find plates and silverware. She was still looking through the cupboards when he came back into the kitchen. "Finding everything all right?"

She closed the cupboards and turned towards him. "Cups?"

Hater sat down at the table and pointed above the stove. "Above the cooker."

He watched Alice retrieve the cups, finding it amusing that she had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach the high cabinet.

She set the cups down and he pored them both some tea. They ate in silence for a bit before Alice spoke up. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." he replied. Even though that wasn't the truth. He felt sluggish and so very tired. He didn't know if it was the heat from the shower or simply the fact that he was finally sitting down but it felt like all his energy had been sucked away. He really wanted nothing more than to just crawl into bed and sleep for a week.

He looked up from his plate to see Alice still watching him. "Really, I'm fine." He assured her. "I'm just tired. You don't have to keep worrying over me you know."

"Sorry." she said taking a few bites from her plate.

"Its all right." he said pushing the food around on his plate a bit. "It's been a long time since anyones fussed over me. I've forgotten how nice it is."

Alice smiled at him. "Well its the least I can do. You've looked out for me these last few days so I have no problem doing the same for you."

Hatter ate a few more bites of his meal and tried to think of something to say. He had about a million things he wanted to talk about, but all of them seemed far too heavy for how late it was. Besides the last thing he wanted to do was mention anything that might drag up bad memories for her. She hadn't mentioned her father once but he knew she would eventually have to deal with it. If she wasn't ready just yet he wasn't going to push her.

Finally his mind settled on a safe subject. "Tomorrow, I'll take you to see Lettie. She's a friend of mine, runs a clothing shop. Thats where I get all my things from. We'll get you a nice wardrobe for your stay here."

Alice sipped her tea. "I don't need anything special, a few changes of clothes will be fine."

Hatter laughed and smiled. "You don't know Lettie. Once she hears about you she's going to want to dress you to the nines."

Alice sighed and looked at the tea in her cup. " It just seems like a waste of money considering we don't even know how long I'll be here."

Hatter had finished eating and pushed his plate away. He took his cup in his hands and relaxed back in his chair. "Oh I don't pay Lettie."

Alice tilted her head in confusion. "You don't pay her for any of your clothes?"

"Its a long story." he said. "But to give you the short version, Lettie and her husband James were my best friends growing up. James was a good lad, treated me just like a brother and thought me everything he knew. But he coned the wrong people and made a triable mistake which ended up costing him his life."

Alice leaned forward on the table her brow wrinkled in concern. "Thats terrible, I'm so sorry."

Hatter nodded, his own expression falling a bit. Talking about James always made his heart feel heavy. "After James passed I hid Lettie away in the Great Library until I know she wouldn't be the target of any retaliation. When I was sure she was safe I let her have the building I owned before I bought this one. She turned it into a clothing shop, she always did have a good head for fashion. I told her I didn't want any payment for the place, I just wanted my pick of her stock."

Alice smiled. "Well that was sweet of you. Figures you would rather be paid in shirts and hats than money."

"Of course." He said standing and clearing the dishes away. "I can always make money, good clothes however are hard to find."

Hatter put the dishes in the sink and insisted they leave them there. "They'll still be dirty tomorrow." He assured her.

Hatter went over to the bed and Alice watched as he picked up one of the pillows and a blanket. This left the bed with three pillows and the heavy chocolate colored comforter. "I'll take the couch," he said settling in on the lime colored sofa. "and you can have the bed."

"You don't have too." She said as she walked over to to couch he was laying on and leaned her elbows against the back. "Its your place, I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

Hatter was already laying down on the sofa, the blanket pulled up around him and his hat tipped so it covered his eyes. He reached up and pushed the brim back just slightly so he could look up at her. "Can't you do anything without arguing about it?"

She shook her head slightly. "I just don't want you to be uncomfortable because of me."

As tired as he was he found her statement incredibly funny and couldn't help but laugh. "Love, if you were going to worry about that, you should have started days ago when Dodo shot me."

Alice just sighed and walked away. She shut off the light and climbed into bed. Pulling the covers up around her she wrapped her arm under the pillow and shifted a bit trying to get comfortable. The comforter was soft and somewhat fuzzy against her skin. Warmth settled over her and she felt sleep creeping up on her. She breathed deep and sighed. His pillow smelled sweet, it probably smelled like him.

She raised her head and strained her eyes in the darkness trying to see him. "Hatter?" She called just above a whisper. If he was already sleeping she didn't want to wake him.

"Hmmm?" He grunted, clearly he had almost been asleep.

She sat up a little more wishing she could see him from her place on the bed. "Thank you, for everything."

Across the room she heard the soft rustling of his blanket as he shifted on the couch. "You're welcomed, believe me." There was a pause before he spoke again. "Good night, Alice."

"Good night, Hatter." She settled back down in the bed and pulled the comforter tightly around her. She snuggled against the pillow before giving into sleep.

a/n

I almost didn't get this up tonight. The middle of this chapter gave me a bit of trouble but I managed to overcome my writers block.

As always thanks for the reviews.


	4. The lower city

The lower city

Alice woke the next morning from a dreamless sleep. The sun was shining brightly through the windows. She didn't know what time it was but it must have been well into morning. How long had she slept?

She laid there a moment stretching slightly and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She vaguely remembered Hatter waking her what felt like hours ago to tell her he was stepping out for a bit. She had been too tired at the time to ask where he was going but now she wished she had.

She got up and made the bed, returning the pillow and blanket Hatter had left on the couch back to their rightful place. She went to the bathroom and washed up. Finding a brush she managed to tame her hair a bit.

She went to the kitchen and found that there wasn't much to eat. That must have been where Hatter went, to get some food for breakfast. Having nothing much else to do she cleaned up the kitchen before wandering around the living room a bit.

The bookcases that lined the far wall caught her attention. She remembered Hatter telling her the queen had outlawed books, fearing her people having any knowledge. If books were considered contraband, how was it Hatter had so many?

She began running her hands along a row of books reading the titles as she went. The first few books she didn't recognize but the next one was the Stephen King book Carrie. There were more books from her world. A collection of works from Shakespeare, Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, he even had what looked like a high school history text book Why were there books from her world in Wonderland?

She heard the door open and looked over to see Hatter coming in. He had a paper bag in one hand and three plastic bags hanging from his other. "Oh, you're awake. Morning."

She walked over to him and tried to take the plastic bags from his hand but he pulled them back. "Just food in those love," He said handing her the paper bag with a smile. "This one's for you."

"Really?" She said peaking inside the bag.

Hatter went to the kitchen and started pulling out items for breakfast. "I stopped by Lettie's and told her

to expect us today. You should have seen her. She lit up like the sun when I told her you needed a full fitting."

Alice followed him to the kitchen still holding the bag he had given her. She saw that he had bought some eggs and what looked like bacon, milk and bread. "Do you want me to help you with that?"

He set the food aside and turned towards her. "No, I got this. Open the bag." He said pointing at the package in her arms.

Alice sat the bag on the table and pulled out its contents. She pulled out a thin, white dress that was made of a soft material. There was a purple and gray design at the bottom of the skirt and a bow at one shoulder mimicking the same design.

"Do you like it?" Hatter had moved towards her watching as she looked the dress over.

Alice held the dress up against herself. It was a little longer that her blue dress, falling just above her knees. It was very nice and would be perfect as long as it fit. "Its nice. Lettie has good taste."

"Brilliant." Hatter said clapping his hands once. He turned back to the food on the counter. He took the eggs and bacon to the stove and grabbed a frying pan. "And I picked that out, not Lettie. The dress she picked out for you was awful, would have done nothin' for ya." He cracked a few eggs into the frying pan. "Not her fault though, she hasn't seen ya yet so she was just picking something she liked."

Alice looked back in the bag seeing that it also had a pair of gray tights. "Well." she said "I guess I'll go get dressed. As long as you're sure you don't need any help"

"No, go change." He said shaking the spatula at her. "We'll be leaving right after breakfast."

Alice took the bag and went to the bathroom to change. She quickly slipped on the dress and the tights. Alice looked herself over in the full length mirror that hung from the back of the bathroom door. She thought she looked ok, except for her oyster mark. Looking down, she ran her fingers over the green leafy swirls that stained her skin. It was a part of her now, she'd have to live with it whether she liked it or not.

When Alice reentered the kitchen Hatter was already seated and eating. "Well?" he asked her expectingly.

She smiled at him and joined him at the table. "Do I really have to stroke your ego by saying you have a good eye for fashion?"

He swallowed down a piece of bacon before he answered. "No, I have eyes, I see how good you look."

Alice looked away but couldn't help smiling as she settled down at the table. She ignored the smug look he was giving her instead focusing on her plate. "So we are going to see Lettie after we eat?"

"Well you are, I'm going to go to Trade." He said casually with a sip of his tea.

Sometimes, she thought, he forget she didn't really know anything about Wonderland. "Whats Trade? Is that a place?"

She watched while he fiddled with the last of the food on his plate. He was obviously trying to think of how to explain whatever this Trade thing was. Finally he answered. "Trade is where people take their assets and barter against each other. If you have gold or jewels or property you're allowed to wager them against others in Trade games."

"Like gambling?" She wasn't quite sure what he was talking about. He didn't seem to want to explain it fully.

She watched him nod his head back and forth slightly in a way she had come to realize meant he didn't want to answer. "In a way. The most popular game is chess but there are also games of chance like cards and dice." He moved to take his empty plate and hers and placed both in the sink. "I'm not very good at chess, and I've never had much luck with cards or dice."

Alice looked at him questioningly. "Then why go?"

I figure," He said as he offered her his hand and pulled her up from her chair. "I've been pretty lucky these last few days so I thought this would be a good time try again. Also, if you fancy eating and having comforts such as hot watter and electricity, I'm going to have to reopen the shop. To do that I'll need more money than I have now. Trade is the fastest way to double what assets I have left."

They left the kitchen and went to the living room. Hatter quickly put his coat on and then held hers out to her. She let him help her into the purple coat then moved to sit on the couch and slip on her boots. "Gambling is illegal in my world."

Hatter shrugged his shoulders. "Its just another business practice here love. Everyone does it."

She stood and smoothed out her dress. "It's not dangerous is it?"

"No" He said as they walked towards the door. "It's only dangerous if you cheat and even then only if you get caught."

"And no, I don't cheat." He said cutting off the question she was just about to ask. "If I did, I would have won more often, don't ya think?" He flashed her a wide smile.

They left the teashop and started down a street. Alice wasn't quite sure if she had been this way before or not. She was still finding it hard to get her bearings. She didn't even know if the sun here rose in the east and set in the west. Wonderland being the way it was she wouldn't have been surprised to find it chose a different path across the sky each day just to confuse everyone.

Hatter was once again walking on the outside near the ledge. She thought it was sweet how he always took her fear into consideration. Sometime after they started out Hatter had slipped his arm around her shoulders. His arm was light and there was no possessiveness to it, the feel was very casual. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed him do it.

"You're doing better you know," He gestured out towards the drop off. "with the whole heights thing."

"Really?" She said with a little nervous laugh.

"Oh yeah." He nodded. "You're far less tense and you only slightly look like you're going to pass out."

"Its still..." she paused daring to look over at the edge. "we're really, really high up."

She felt his arm tighten around her shoulder. "Only a few more blocks then we'll be heading down. Just try to think of something else."

Alice took a deep breath and tried to think of something besides her fear. She thought back and remembered about the books back at his place. "So what's with all the books? How did you get so many from my world?"

"Oh that, it's all black market. If you have enough money they're easy enough to find."

"You have a lot of books."

"I tend to have a lot of money. Well I used to anyways. Guess that's what I get for a having such liquid assets."

Alice rolled her eyes at his pun about tea. "Do you have any Wonderland books?"

"Course I do, thats what Dodo used to pay me in. I would bring down food, water, or particularly good bits of information and he would begrudgingly give me a book or two." Hatter kept walking but had to stop when he felt Alice pull away from him. He looked over only to find her standing there, her head tilted in such a way that let him know she was thinking. She looked slightly angry and he wasn't quite sure how a conversation about books could have lead to that.

"So your usual cut from Dodo was books?" She asked.

"Yes." Simple as the answer was he was afraid to let it slip out. He had no idea what was wrong but he hoped that yes had been the correct answer. He watched as she smiled while biting her bottom lip slightly. That, he thought, was definitely not a happy smile.

"So let me get this straight," She was looking at him now, arms crossed and completely defensive. "You bought me off a rat catcher for a bottle of excitement just so you could trade me to Dodo for a book?"

Well at least now he knew what she was so upset about. "Now Alice. you have to remember, I wasn't so attached to you at the time and Wonderland books are impossible to come by...."

"I'm a living person Hatter! Whether or not you were attached to me you don't have the right to trade me." Her voice had raised a octave or two. She wasn't yelling yet but she was well on her way.

She had backed away from him a few paces in her anger and Hatter moved to grab her arm. "Now look, we've already fought about this remember, I chased you round a tree? I apologized for that."

She raised her hand and jabbed her finger pointedly at his chest. "First of all you never apologized and second... a book? Really? You were going to leave me with Dodo, a man who hates you and shot you, just so you could read something?"

Hatter grabbed her hands "Look, lets just make our way down to Old Town and if you're still angry we can argue about it down there. At least that way I don't have to worry about you backing off the ledge in anger."

That caught her attention and she froze up noticing how close she had actually come towards the edge of the sidewalk.

Hatter pulled her back towards the wall and switched sides with her so he was once again on the outside. "Ok?"Alice only nodded they begin moving once more.

They walked down a few more blocks before coming to a long, narrow building. Alice remembered using these before, when she and Hatter had run from the suits and escaped in his smuggling boat.. The only thing in these buildings were stairs leading from the upper level of the city down to the ground.

They emerged from the building, Alice already felt more relaxed knowing there was solid ground under her feet. Looking around she saw they were in an alleyway, just a few feet from the actual street. She turned to Hatter who was just coming out of the building. "That was a dirty trick."

"What? Stopping you from backing off the edge? I thought that was very nice of me." Hatter was glancing about, probably making sure no one was around.

She shook her head and glared at him. "No, playing my fear of heights against me."

"What do you want me to do? Apologize? Tell you how I regret even taking you anywhere near Dodo or putting you in danger like that?" He'd yanked his hat of his head and ran his hands through his hair. "What will make you happy and stop ya from being so cross with me? It was a mistake and I'm sorry. I wouldn't trade ya now for every book in the Great Library if it were offered to me."

Alice looked down at her hands nervously playing with her fingers. "I'm not really mad at you as much as I am Wonderland in general." She looked down the ally, seeing a few people walking along the street. "My people are considered things here. You may not think like that anymore but most of them still do."

They stood in silence for a moment neither knowing quite what to say. Hatter flipped his hat back on his head and held his hand out to her. "Things will change, it just takes time."

Alice glanced up at him quickly before taking his hand. He lead her, turning to the left as they hit the street. This part of the city was different than the higher levels. The buildings here looked much older and more well used. Instead of the industrial look of the upper city this place was more inviting. The buildings here were made of natural materials like stone and wood instead of steal and concrete.

The streets were wide and made of brick and stone. There were no sidewalks here either. The only thing that separated the buildings from the street were small, narrow, gutters she guessed were for rain watter to run down.

There were more people too, men and women hurrying along the street, entering and leaving the various shops and businesses. She wondered what the reason was for the separation. Why it seemed so much more alive down here than anything she had seen in the city above.

She was going to ask Hatter about the difference but she stopped when she looked up at him. He looked very defensive and his arm was wrapped around her again, this time tight and protective. He watched everyone they passed with weary eyes. She may have felt safer here but clearly he knew different.

She focused attention on the shops they were passing. There was a butcher shop with large chunks of meat hanging in the window, a shop whose sign read 'Great City Gems', a shop called 'Squares' that appeared to sell croquet equipment, and next to that a building who's sign simply read 'Drink Me'.

"Hatter, whats that place?" She asked gesturing towards Drink Me.

"Oh that." He said without stopping. "Used to be a bar that served alcohol. That was before the queen outlawed liquor, not sure what they sell now."

They passed a few more shops before stopping in front of one called 'Fountain Fabrics'. The building was made of a light, brown colored brick. There was a large window in the front with dark red curtains and little window boxes filled with brightly colored flowers. "This is it." Hatter said gesturing towards the building.

Alice nodded and she started towards the entrance. Hatter however stopped her and pulled her back towards him. "I just want to warn you a bit before we go in there." He said "Lettie is a doll and you'll love her however the girl who works for her, Rose, is a massive bitch. She's stuck up and snotty and hates most people but seems to really have it out for me. As you're acquainted with me she's going to have a instant dislike for you."

Alice smiled up at him. "This isn't going to be a repeat of the Great Library is it? Is Rose going to pull a gun on us?" Hatter looked far to serious for how funny she thought this all was. "Hatter does anyone in this city like you?"

"Yes believe it or not, there are plenty of people who enjoy my company. Until a few moments ago I thought you were one of them."

Alice laughed and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his. "Oh stop being so dramatic. I'm sure I can handle Rose." She pulled him towards the door and the two stepped inside.

a/n

Looks like Thursdays will be my normal update day. If I can get a chapter done on the weekend it will be Sunday but I'm not sure I could do that every weekend.

Thank you again for the reviews, I always appreciate them. Lets me know I'm not boring you too much with the length of the chapters.


	5. Painting Flowers

Painting Flowers

Alice and Hatter entered the shop, the bell at the top of the door rang out, signaling their arrival. The inside of the shop looked small and more like a fancy reception room than a clothing store. There was a plush looking, scarlet love seat under the window. A coffee table near it held a small stack of fashion magazines. Across the room was a reception window with a few papers neatly stacked on its smooth wooden ledge and behind that she could see shelves stacked with rolls and rolls of fabrics.

The room also had a large number of plants. There were pots of various sizes scattered around the room and even a few hanging from the ceiling.

"I'll be with you in a moment." Came a woman's voice from somewhere in the back.

Alice walked up to the window peeking around its corner trying to see further into the shop. Hatter sat down behind her on the couch stretching his arms across it's back and putting his feet up on the table.

"Alice," Hatter called her name in a quiet whisper. "hit that little bell on the ledge there a few times, she hates that."

She looked back at him her brows furrowed in question. "I thought you didn't want to make her angry?"

"Course not." He said looking away for a second before explaining further. "I don't want her angry with you. But she's going to be angry with me no matter what. As long as she doesn't go after you, I'd like to have a bit of fun."

Alice just stared at him dryly as he motioned towards the bell again and made a patting motion in the air with his hand. "No Hatter."

"Hello, what can I do for you today?" A young woman appeared in the window behind them, her arms holding a small pile of silk. She was a little shorter than Alice, her skin dark tan. Her hair was straight and long, deep red in color, and highlighted with orange. The woman looked at Alice with her bright green eyes and smiled.

She seemed sweet enough and Alice really didn't quite understand Hatter's need to aggravate the delicate looking girl. She was going to introduce herself when Hatter spoke up from his spot on the couch. "Hello Rose."

At the sound of his voice the pleasant expression on the woman's face turned into an angry snarl. She steeped to the side to look around Alice and glare at Hatter. "Wasn't seeing you once today enough? Must you come back to torment me again?"

"Whats the matter Rose, has no one watered you today?"

The woman fisted her hands in anger as she quickly moved from behind the counter, coming through the curtained doorway and marching over towards Hatter. "Get your stinking feet," She reached out and slapped his feet, knocking them too the floor. "off my table you mangy git!"

Hatter didn't seem put off by her at all, in fact he was grinning up at her. "Now Rose, that's really no way to speak to the hero of Wonderland now is it?"

Rose backed away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hero my ass! You road someone else's coat tales I'll bet ya. In it for all it's worth I'm sure you leach. If you're such a hero, why aren't ya at the palace being waited on hand and foot by servant girls?"

Hatter stood up and leaned down slightly to bring his face closer to the angry woman. "Because you, you thickly thorned weed, are a fine example of exactly the type of servant girls the Queen liked to keep. I wouldn't be caught dead hanging about your kind. I'd find better company in pigs"

Alice watched silently at the exchange between the two. Rose was clearly furious but Hatter was remaining surprisingly calm, which only seemed to anger Rose more. The woman's hair which had once lain so neatly around her shoulders now seemed wild and frazzled, almost like it was reacting to her emotions.

Rose went silent for a moment eying Hatter. Suddenly she turned to Alice. "You must be Alice of legend?" She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She looked back at Hatter, clearly talking more to him than to Alice. "The way this moron made you sound I was expecting a princess, not some common dandelion."

"Dandelion?" Alice repeated. She understood the insult, she just thought it was odd. In fact, all the flower talk between the two was odd. The woman's name was Rose but Hatter was taking the whole plant thing a bit far.

Hatter moved to stand between Alice and Rose. "I knew it. I knew you couldn't keep yourself from attacking her. Low blow going after someone you don't even know just to get back at me. Aren't you court girls supposed to be well mannered?"

"Children please." Came a voice from behind them. Alice turned around to see a tall women walking in from the back of the shop. Her blond, curly, hair was done up in a bun high on her head with a few pins sticking out here and there. Her large blue eyes narrowed as she stared at Hatter and Rose looking so much like a disapproving mother. "I cant believe how the two of you are acting, and in front of Wonderland's champion of all people."

The woman walked over towards Alice, reaching out taking hold of both her hands. "You must be Alice." She said smiling so sweet and sincere that Alice couldn't help but smile back. "Hatter has told me so much about you."

Hatter gave Rose one last smug look before turning and placing his hands on Lettie's shoulders. "Alice, this is Lettie, finest seamstress in all of Wonderland."

Lettie rolled her eyes. "He does love to talk people up doesn't he? Although Rose and I do our best to impress, don't we Rose."

Lettie seemed to have a calming affect on Rose. She was smiling again and her hair was once more perfectly neat. She walked over and pushed Hatter away from Lettie in one swift motion. "Of course we do, and our clothing is of only the finest quality."

Hatter was brushing off the sleeve of his jacket where Rose had pushed him, as if her simple touch could dirty him. "Which is why I only get my things from here."

Alice watched in amazement as Rose's hair once again became wild with her anger. "Oh please, you're simply taking advantage of Lettie's kindness you carpetbaggin', life draining..."

"Rose!" Lettie glaring at the woman from the corner of her eye. At the shout of her name Rose's mouth snapped shut and her hair fell back into place. Lettie sighed. "Dear please go and put some tea on for us."

Rose nodded and quickly strode out of the room ignoring the nasty glare Hatter was giving her. Once she was out of earshot Hatter relaxed a bit. "You will keep her in check while Alice is here won't ya Lettie?"

Lettie folded her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heals. "Hatter you really are the only person she treats so poorly. I'm sure once you leave Rose will be her sweet self again."

Alice walked over and stood next to Hatter. "This is probably a dumb question but why does Rose hate you so much?"

Hatter shrugged his shoulders. "Because she's a dried up old pile of potpourri?"

"Hatter must you?" Lettie said giving Alice an exasperated look. "Rose dislikes Hatter because she feels he takes advantage of me. Which couldn't be further from the truth. Between that and the fact he worked selling Tea for the Queen, she's never really warmed up to him."

Hatter sighed. "I just don't want her going after you just so she can get a rise out of me. Course if she does," Hatter said leaning towards Alice and smiling. " I want you to flip her up over your back just like ya did Dodo. If ya could I'd prefer to be here to see it when you do"

"Anyway," said Lettie pulling a pin from her hair and twirling it between her fingers. "You best be off to Trade. Let us girls play dress up."

"Right." Hatter turned towards Alice and held his arms out slightly. "Don't suppose I could get a hug for luck?"

After his behavior with Rose, she probably shouldn't have given in to him. She just couldn't help herself. Alice smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her cheek rubbing his as he leaned down against her. "Just be careful, ok?" She whispered to him before turning to kiss his cheek.

Hatter pulled away just enough so he could reached out and brush a few loose strands of hair behind her ear before cupping her face with his hand. "Do I worry you?"

Lettie softly cleared her throat behind them, gently reminding the two they weren't alone. Alice stepped away from him. "Of course you do, remember what you said about danger and blood hounds?"

"Thats you luv, not me." Hatter nodded at Lettie before he left. "I'll be back in a few hours then."

Alice watched through the shop window as he walked away. Even though she knew he had to leave part of her wished he would have stayed. As much as Lettie seemed nice it didn't change the fact that Alice didn't know her. She was also still unsure of what to make of Rose.

Lettie must have sensed her discomfort. "Don't worry dear, you're among friends here. Though I admit being left in the company of strangers would make me a bit uneasy." She held the curtain of the doorway up and motioned for Alice to walk through. "Lets head to the back. I'm sure Rose has the tea set up for us by now. We three can get to know each other a bit."

Alice thanked Lettie as she walked through the doorway and into the back of the shop. To her amazement the building was far bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. There were several long rows of clothing stretching towards the back of the room.

Lettie stepped around her and started walking down one of the rows. "She'll be back here." Lettie said motioning with her hand for Alice to follow.

The aisle they were walking down seemed to be dresses and skirts on one side and shirts and sweaters on the other. The racks came to an end and a small set of stairs led to a lower part of the room. Rose was off to the right setting up a small table with tea. To the left was a sewing table with a few shirts laying across it and beyond that a large rack holding thread and ribbons. At the back of the room there were three full length mirrors and a small, curtained off dressing area.

"I'll take your coat." said Rose as she moved behind Alice and took the coat as she slipped it of her shoulders. Alice was suddenly very conscious of her mark and pressed her arm tightly against her side.

Lettie sat down at the table and Rose poured her a cup of tea. Alice took her seat across from Lettie and watched Rose fix another cup before placing it in front of her.

"Oh lemon grass." Lettie said excitedly taking a sip from her cup. "Alice, do you like tea?"

Alice lifted her cup up and sniffed it. She had never had lemon grass tea before, her experience with tea not going much beyond green and white. "I'm beginning to. I usually drink coffee."

Rose slumped down in her chair with a sigh. "Oh how I miss Coffee." With her delicate finger she twirled her cup around in small circles. Once again her hair seemed to mimic her emotion, this time seeming sad as it hang heavily around her face. "I haven't had coffee since I was kicked out of the palace." She rested her head in her hand and pouted. "You Oysters are so lucky."

Lettie reached out and patted the redhead's shoulder. "Coffee doesn't exist in Wonderland, so it has to be imported from your world. Only the very rich can afford it. I've never had it myself but I hear it can be bad for you and that it stains your teeth. You're better off without it."

Alice took a sip of her tea, finding she enjoyed the zesty flavor this one had. "So did you work in the palace Rose?"

The girl's mood seemed to sour more at the mention of the palace and Alice was afraid she had overstepped her bounds. "Yes, I was one of the Queens Flowers. I was kicked out before my time because I can't seem to keep my mouth shut."

"Alice, do you know about the Flowers?" Lettie said as she folded her fingers together and rested her chin on them. Alice shook her head no and Lettie began explaining. "The Queen kept young girls as servants. She liked them pretty and she liked them quiet. While Rose is pretty, silence is not her strong suit. Refresh my memory dear, what was it you said that made her so angry?"

Rose immediately straightened in her chair, her face radiating pride and her hair bouncing back to life. "I told her it was a good thing she ruled sheep. Cause if the population wasn't so high on emotions she'd have to get off her ass and do some work."

Alice looked at the girl with concern. "You weren't afraid of her? She could have killed you."

Rose shrugged her shoulders, her perfect lips forming a frown. "I was almost 13, my time was running out. The Queen never kept girls after they bloomed. She was afraid of her husband's wandering eye. So when the time came if you were quiet, you got sent down to the Oyster rooms for entertainment. Girls that were outspoken however." She said pointing to herself. "We got tossed out on the street with nothing but the clothes on our back. I was trying to upset her, I didn't want to work in the casino dancing for the next twenty years"

Lettie sighed and refilled her cup. "She was lucky I found her, most girls end up in more shady professions."

The bell at the front of the shop rang startling the three a bit. Rose moved to get up but Lettie stopped her. "I'll get it, it's probably just a pickup anyways, finish your tea." Lettie hurried to the front of the shop leaving Alice alone with Rose.

"We'd should cover that up." Rose motioned towards Alice's mark. "In case a customer barges in." Rose got up and walked over to a cabinet in the corner and retrieved a small box. She pulled up one of the chairs closer to Alice and sat down. "Hold out your arm."

Alice did as she was asked and watched as Rose took a small bottle from the box and began rubbing what must have been concealer over her arm, covering the green. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I was just trying to hurt Hatter. It's nothing against you."

Alice looked Rose over a moment before replying. "You know if you give him a chance he's really a great guy. I'm sure if you just cut him a little slack he'd treat you better."

Rose finished and Alice looked down at her arm. The mark was completely covered and blended in seamlessly with her skin. Rose looked up at Alice. "How long have you been here?"

"Four days."

Rose picked up the bottle of makeup played with it idly in her hands. "I've know him five years, I've watched him con and lie his way out of a good number of situations. If he wants you to believe him, he's going to talk you into it. Hatter only does whats best for himself."

Alice watched as the girls hair frizzed up and curled in on its self. "He only let Lettie have this shop so he could use her for clothes. He worked for the Queen so he could get information for the Resistance. I'm not sure what he got from the Resistance but I'm sure he wasn't doing that out of the kindness of his heart. He's a stray dog, he pretends each home is his masters while he begs to be fed, and the moment you stop feeding him he's going to turn on you and bite."

Alice may not know Hatter very well but apparently neither did Rose. Hatter had admitted to playing both sides of the court when it came to the Queen and the Resistance but he only did that because he had to. She had seen Hatter's amazement at the seeing the Kingdom of the Knights and knew his determination to help the refugees in the Great Library was genuine. "Rose, he's helping me. There's nothing in it for him. I think I'm more of a burden on him than anything but he still takes care of me."

Rose took Alice's hand, looking almost desperate. "That's the point, he's made you believe you need him when you don't. You don't have to stay with him. You did a great thing knocking that old cow off her throne. Not just for you Oysters but for girls like me, for all the people she used. You're the hero, not him. He's using you, milking the situation for all its worth. He's found a way to keep you close. I'm not sure what he's done to make you so dependent on him but I'm sure it's not right. You don't have put up with that, you can stay here with Lettie and I. We will take care of you, you don't have to depend on Hatter."

Alice didn't really know what to say. Part of her didn't like Rose because of how poorly she regarded Hatter. However there was a side of her that understood more than she cared to admit. The girl's eyes mirrored so much of what Alice once felt, fear, mistrust, anger, and hurt. Rose's heart seemed to be in the right place but Alice still believed in and trusted Hatter. "You're right, he did use me, but I used him too. When I came here I didn't know anything about Wonderland. Even if Hatter didn't have quite the best intentions at first, he did help me. Even when I left him he came after me, twice. He almost died because of me"

Rose leaned back in her chair and pouted. For the first time Alice saw just how young she was, she couldn't have been more than seventeen. She didn't know how the Queen raised the Flowers in the palace but she was sure it wasn't with a kind hand. Whatever happened to Rose had scarred her. She was just a hurt little girl. When she spoke again it was so softly that Alice wasn't sure if she was actually talking or just thinking out loud. "He wouldn't risk his life for you unless there was something in it for him."

Alice smiled at the young woman. "Well I like to think it's because he cares about me. He even tried to protect me from you."

Rose let out a very unladylike snort. "As if I'm some monster."

"Why are you trying so hard?" Alice asked wanting to figure out the girls intentions. "You don't know me any better than I know you. For all you know, I could be just as bad as you think Hatter is."

"It's Because you're Alice. Wonderland would never have picked you to save it unless you had a good, true heart." Rose looked up at Alice with an excited smile and her hair became soft curls. "Lettie told me the story of the first Alice, how she came to Wonderland and saved it. She said one day Wonderland would choose a new Alice and get rid of the Queen. That's you, you're the new Alice and you did save us."

Alice reached up and took hold of a long strand of red hair, holding it gently. "The Queen did something to you didn't she?"

Rose looked down at the floor and Alice felt her hair shift in her hand. "It's so she could always tell what we felt. So she would know when we were afraid, or angry, or lying. You couldn't hide anything from the Queen. Whenever people see me they all know what I'm feeling and they all know I'm a Flower, that's all I'll ever be." Her hair had become flat and limp again falling forward to cover her eyes. She looked ashamed.

"Rose, I'm so sorry." Alice couldn't imagine what it would be like to go through life with everyone knowing exactly what you were feeling.

The shop bell sounded again and soon after Lettie rejoined them. "Just Tabitha picking up the evening dress you made for her. She loved it by the way." Lettie paused for a moment to look over them both. "So you girls are getting on well I see."

Rose smiled, her hair returning to it normal relaxed state. "Of course we are, I like Alice."

"Well that's wonderful." Said Lettie clapping her hands together. "I don't suppose you've picked a color plan for her?"

Rose stood up, quickly bouncing to her feet. "Yes, and I already have a few dresses in mind." She looked down at Alice smiling. "You look the racks over and Lettie and I will do a quick pick through of what we think you'll like."

The three went to the clothing racks. Lettie and Rose left Alice to look though the dresses while they quickly moved over the stock discussing what colors would work best with Alice's hair and skin tone. Alice watched Rose, and smiled, seeing that her hair had once more curled in her excitement.

A/N

Sorry for letting this chapter run so long. Rose and Lettie will only be around for this chapter and the next so they would like to get the most out of the time they have. After that they are only going to pop up here or there. I know some people don't like original characters so just to assure you this story is about Alice and Hatter and yes I promise some real fluff soon.

Anyway thanks for the favorites and reviews, they always make me happy!


	6. Better than red

Better than red

"Rose, this isn't working. The color is just too bright."

"But it looks so good with your dark hair. I know, maybe you should try a hat, that might tie the whole thing together."

Alice sighed as she watched Rose run off searching for said hat. The first hour of this had been fun but the last two seemed to drag on. She had never been one for spending all day shopping. She preferred to just grab a few things in her size and then quickly leave whatever store she was in. The only thing Alice ever really liked shopping for was shoes which, disappointingly enough, Lettie didn't deal in.

Lettie had informed her that a quick fitting simply wouldn't do. Since the clothes here had no size most would have to be custom fit, which meant each garment had to be tried on and pinned for Lettie to fix.

Just when Alice thought she had tried on the last of what had been picked out for her, Rose had come bounding up from the back of the shop and presented Alice with the bright yellow sun dress she was currently wearing. Alice had never really liked yellow but Rose was insistent that she try it on.

Bright colors and bold prints were in fashion right now. Alice had never liked either very much. A splash of color was one thing, but a paisley or polka dot dress wasn't her style. Fortunately most of Lettie's older stock came from a more subtle fashion faze. She was also a bit put off by the fact that, as Lettie put it, "Women do not wear men's trousers." That meant her only options were skirts and dresses.

"Found it!" Said Rose excitedly. She placed a large floppy white sun hat on Alice's head and looked into the mirror with her expectingly. Rose had perked up considerably since she started focusing on fashion. She was now acting more like a teenager than the angry hurt girl she had been when Alice had first arrived.

She fought an internal battle between not wanting to hurt Rose's feelings and her own hate of the color yellow. She reached up and played with the hat on her head, pulling the wide brim down and folding it in towards her face. "Rose this is so not me. I really don't have a head for hats."

"Bit of advice," Called Lettie from the dress table she was working at. "never let Hatter hear you say that. He'll spend the rest of his life forcing you to try on hats till he finds one you like."

Rose looked up at Alice with a little pout. "Alright, I'll put it back. Do you want to try another dress?"

Alice flipped the sun hat off her head and set it down gently over Rose's curly red hair. "Nope, I think I have enough clothes."

"Really?" Questioned Rose who was playing with the brim of the hat and looking at herself in the mirror. "I've lost count of what you've gotten so far."

Lettie glanced over the small heap of clothing Alice had excepted. "Seven dresses, ten skirts, fifteen tops, five nightgowns, five coats and six sets of undergarments."

Alice sighed as she sank down into a nearby chair. "Yeah that oughtta do me."

Lettie set aside the frilled green top she had been mending and stood. "I know you're tired dear but would you mind trying one more dress on for me?"

Alice really wanted to say no but Lettie had been so nice to her she simply couldn't turn her down. "Sure, why not."

"Wonderful." Lettie moved down a rack of clothing, knowing exactly where the dress was. She returned quickly holding the dress up for Alice to see. It was a short simple brown dress with a flared skirt and trimmed in white at both the skirt and the top. "I suggested this to Hatter when he came to get you a change of clothes this morning. I think it's lovely but Hatter said and I quote 'She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, I am not going to let you dress her in a potato sack'."

"Really?" Alice asked.

Lettie held the dress out a bit further and looked it over once more. "I know, it's a far cry from a potato sack, it's one of my favorites actually."

"No, I mean the beautiful thing."

"Oh of course he did." Rose sat down sideways in a chair across from Alice. She folded her arms over the back of the chair, resting her head on them. Her hair had gone stick strait, which Alice figured happened when she was being sarcastic. "He came swooping in here this morning acting like he'd gained the grace of the White Queen herself and shouldn't we be so honored to spend the day dressing her."

Earlier Alice might have taken offense to what Rose had just said but now she knew the jabs were meant for Hatter and not directed at her. She knew Hatter was far from innocent in any exchange the two had but she still didn't like the way Rose talked about Hatter.

"Hatter was simply expressing how taken he is with you dear. He probably already had something in mind when he shopped for you this morning. So anything I suggested he wasn't going to choose anyways. He's quite headstrong if you don't already know." Lettie said handing Alice the dress. "That however is no excuse to look down on my work. Really I'm quite insulted he would consider anything I make not good enough. I'd like to prove him wrong, if you'll help me. Try this on and if you like it I'll fit it for you and you can wear it when he comes back."

"This won't upset him will it?" She really didn't think it would but she also didn't want to play a trick on Hatter if he was going to take it the wrong way.

"Of course not." Lettie said reassuringly. "In fact I bet he already suspects I would ask you to wear this. He'll be expecting it."

Alice took the dress and went to the dressing room quickly changing. The dress fit surprisingly well and if Lettie wanted her to wear it she probably wouldn't have to alter it much if at all. The dress wasn't as lovely as the one Hatter had picked out but it was still nice.

Alice was about to leave the dressing room when she heard Hatter call out from the front of the shop. "Lettie? You girls back there?"

She paused and listened hearing Rose reply. "No you twit, we've gone to find Alice a proper place to stay. I convinced her how stupid it was to remain with you in that Tea Shop of yours."

"Oh I can't imagine you talking her into anything you ill-spoken little tumble weed. Where is she?"

"I'm right here." Alice said as she exited the dressing room. "And I wish you would both stop fighting. You started it this time Rose."

Rose was standing a few feet away from Hatter, her hair reflecting her anger. "Well he's the one who asked a stupid question. As if we would run off with you." Her eyes focused angrily on Hatter. "What response did you expect?"

Hatter was leaning back against the dressing table glaring at Rose. "Oh I don't know, how about greeting me kindly for once. It is nice to be welcomed back every now and again."

Rose quickly turned her back towards Hatter. "Not my fault you rankle me."

"Not even you can sour my mood little weed." He said walking past Rose on his way towards Alice. "Or you Lettie."

"Me?" Lettie smiled innocently and dropped the shirt she was sewing in her lap. "Whatever could I have done to anger you?"

He paused a short distance away from Alice and gestured toward her. "You put her in this just to get a rise out of me didn't you."

Alice tried hard to keep a straight face. She found it funny how pleased Lettie was with his reaction."How do you know I didn't pick this out myself? Its a very nice dress."

Hatter rolled his eyes at her. "Wouldn't that be a funny little coincidence." He looked over at Lettie. "All you've done is prove that Alice can make even a potato sack look good. I stand by my earlier statement, that dress is still ugly."

Lettie smiled and laughed. "Its Alice's opinion that mattes. Do you like it dear?"

Alice reached down and fanned out the skirt of the dress a bit. "Yeah, its very nice. If you don't mind I'll take this one too."

Rose leaned in towards Hatter, her hair falling in playful waves down her back. "See, Lettie knows what Alice likes better than you and she's only just met her."

Hatter was about to insult Rose but Alice stopped him by placing her hand on his shoulder. "No that's not true, and Hatter has very good taste."

A smug look returned to Hatters face. He reached down held her hand not on his shoulder. "Thank you Alice."

"So," said Lettie picking her needle back up and continuing her work. "from how chipper you are I take it Trade went well."

Hatter smiled down at Alice. "Things went very well." He leaned down a little closer to her face. "And do you know why?"

Alice kept her eyes focused on his. Her pulse quickened the way it always did when he focused his full attention on her."No, why?"

He grabbed her other hand and pulled her closer. "Because you, my beautiful little pearl hearted Oyster, are obviously the reason for my good luck."

Rose snickered from somewhere off to the side. "Why don't you just string her on a chain and carry her about with your keys?"

Amazingly Hatter ignored her comment. He dropped Alice's hands and held up a finger signaling for her to wait. "I did so well today that I stopped on my way back and got you lovely ladies a gift. I even got you something Rose."

Rose crossed her arms and snubbed her nose in the air. "Oh I simply can't wait to see what little knickknack you picked up. You only got me something so Alice wouldn't be cross with you for leaving me out. Your intentions have nothing to do with me, you're only trying to impress her. She's not stupid you know."

He walked over to the table and dug around in a small black bag. He must have brought it in with him because Alice didn't remember seeing it before. He reached in and pulled something out quickly hiding it behind his back. "You've figured me out so well hmm. Guess you don't want my little gift then?"

Rose looked at him with suspicion. "Of course not, I..." Her words died away as Hatter held out his hand and dangled a pocket watch in front of her. The watch case was gold and etched with an ivy pattern. Rose's hair pushed back away from her face in surprise and she stared at the watch as it spun around on its thin gold chain.

Rose looked back and forth between the watch and Hatter. "How did you know I like watches?"

Hatter shrugged his shoulders. "Lettie might have mentioned it in passing. You want it or not?"

Rose quickly reached out and snatched the watch from his hands. She backed away slightly as if she thought he would try to take it back. "No strings attached? I don't owe you anything?"

"Course not." Hatter said as he returned to the bag and pulled out another item. "That's why its called a gift, ragweed." Rose didn't comment back, just tucked the watch away in her pocket.

"Lettie hold out your arm please." She did as she was told with a smile and Hatter wrapped a bracelet around her slender wrist.

After he fixed the clasp Lettie pulled her arm back and twisted the bracelet back and forth admiring the small green gem stones it was made of. She looked up at Hatter and smiled appreciatively "It's very lovely dear, you always know just how to make a girl happy, thank you."

"Finally, for my good luck charm." Hatter said walking over towards her and smiling widely. He reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled something out. He held his hand out to her reveling a hair comb. The decorative part of the comb was covered in purple and green gems forming the pattern of three orchids and leaves. "I didn't know what you would like, but I thought this would look really lovely tucked up in your hair. Do you like it?"

She reached out and took the comb from his hands, her fingers brushing his as she did. "Yeah I do, it's very pretty." She turned the comb in her hand and watched the purple stones glint in the light. "Do you have a thing for dressing me in the color purple?"

"Well, it was either this one with the flowers, or another with red hearts. I really don't think red is a good color for you."

She laughed and silently wondered if Hatter was always going to have a problem with hearts or the color red. She smiled up at him."I love it, thank you."

It was late afternoon by the time they left the shop. Lettie had packed three bags of clothes for Alice and said she would have the rest delivered in the next day or so. The four said their goodbyes, Lettie made Alice promise that she would come back again soon for tea. Rose actually thanked Hatter for the watch right before they left, amazingly enough with out a backhanded comment attached.

Evening fell over the lower city. Lamps she hadn't noticed before were lit, the soft glow they emitted was just enough to light the street. There were less people out now and it seemed most of the stores here were closing up.

When they left Lettie's Hatter had told her to walk fast and keep close to him. He was carrying the bags so he didn't have his arm around her shoulder like she was getting used to him doing when they walked. "Hatter, is there a reason we're rushing to get out of here?"

Hatter didn't even spare her a glance, his eyes stayed focused on the area around them. "Too many places to hide down here. I'm carrying way too many valuables not to be a mark. Might as well have a bloody target on my back."

Hatter nudged her with his shoulder. "Walk faster and keep your guard up. Most people down here won't go into the upper city so we should be ok once we get to the stairs."

She hadn't noticed the danger they were in, maybe it was because Hatter made her feel safe, but she now realized how far she had actually let her guard down. A fact that, as a New Yorker, made her ashamed of herself. Living in a large city she had learned early on how not to run into trouble. You always kept your purse under your coat, never walk with headphones on, never take shortcuts and always keep your head up and eyes open.

Instead of looking at the shops she should have been looking at the dark shadowy places between them.

Those alleys provided the perfect cover for anyone looking to mug them. His paranoia had fanned the fire of her own and she now swore she could not only feel eyes watching them but also see them lurking from the dimly lit side streets.

She could only imagine what they looked like to potential predators. A lone man and woman walking down the street loaded down with shopping bags. Hatter was right, they were easy marks.

By the time they reached the staircase building her heart was racing and she was casting nervous glances behind them to make sure they were not being followed. She swore she had never before been so happy to be heading fifteen stories up in her life. The upper city may not have been exactly safe but there were no dark alleys to hide down or shadows to lurk in.

Even when they reached the highest level Hatter kept pushing her to move quickly. The fact that he was carrying however much he had won at Trade must have been part of his anxiety. She hadn't asked him how much he won simply because she had no idea of how Wonderland currency worked. From the way he and Lettie talked she assumed it was a lot. They walked in silence the last few blocks to the Tea House. Alice did her best to push her fears aside and keep up with his pace even when they had to walk on the narrow ledge.

As soon as the Tea House came into view she heard Hatter let out a sigh of relief. He slowed their pace down and seemed to relax a bit. "Sorry to rush ya but it's best to get home quick, yeah?"

Alice shook her head. "It's ok. I should have been paying more attention and not had my head in the clouds."

"Na," he said still walking close to her. "it's my job ta keep ya safe. At least while we're in Wonderland. Course if we go back to your world then it will be your job keeping me out of trouble."

Alice laughed and slipped her arm through his. "If that's the case, then we'll stay in my apartment the whole time, just to be safe."

"That doesn't sound like such a bad thing." He nudged her playfully and shot her a lopsided grin.

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Yeah, that's only because you don't know I live with my mother."

"That might make things a bit awkward."

A/n

I am piss poor at describing clothing so, some samples of clothes found in Lettie's shop can be found here www. modcloth. com/ remove the spacing. Its just my idea of what Wonderland fashion might look like.

Also great fanvid link here for you to check out. Www. Youtube. com/watch?v=NqilhAzpc08

.Again remove the spacing or just search for Hatter/Alice-mercy

There's a slight chance I might have another chapter up by Sunday. I'll try my best :)


	7. Returning home

Returning home

"So, I don't suppose you fancy putting on a little fashion show for me?"

Alice sighed as she made her way up the stairs of the Tea House. "Hatter if I have to try on one more dress today I think my head will explode. You'll just have to settle with looking at them on a hanger."

He fished the key to the front door out of his pocket. "You're no fun, ya know that? Here I worked all day making a small fortune just to keep you happy and you won't even try on a few skirts for me. Evil woman."

Alice shrugged "You'll live."

Hatter went to unlock the door but before he could even put the key in the lock it pushed open. He held his hand up in a motion for her to be quiet. He listened for a moment before speaking. "Stay here."

She knew better than to waste time arguing with him. If someone was still in the shop the odds were better if both of them went in to take care of it. She just waited for Hatter to go first before following him. If she was already in the building he couldn't make her turn back.

He was in the middle of the trade floor before he realized she was behind him. He didn't say anything but the look he gave her spoke volumes. He showed how angry he was with her when he reached out and yanked her behind him with way more force than he needed too. She had to force herself to keep from yelping at his roughness but she somehow managed to keep silent.

The trade room was empty and they made their way to his office. The door was half opened and light spilled out from the room. Hatter tightened his hold on her hand, squeezing almost to the point of pain. Slowly he pushed the door open and peered into the room. He stepped forward, pulling Alice along and keeping her at his back. She couldn't see past him but she could feel how tense he was.

Suddenly he relaxed and dropped her hand. "Damn it Dormie! What the hell are you doing here?"

Finding herself free Alice moved around him to see a short man in an oversize suit standing at the back of the room, precariously perched on the edge of Hatters white chair. She recognized him as the man who had announced the emotion Tea called Clear Conscience the day she fell into Wonderland. He had rolled the chair to the back cabinet clearly trying to see if anything was left of Hatters private stock.

"Boss!" The little man shrieked nervously. "You're alive, I thought the Queen had killed you."

"Do I look dead Dormie?" Hatter strode over and pulled the chair away just as Dormie stepped down off it. "You're a bit slow to scavenge aren't ya? Do you really think the junkies would have missed a drop of Tea?"

Dormie backed away slightly seemingly afraid of Hatter and his anger. "Look, boss, you know that if I thought you were still around I would never try and cheat ya."

Hatter stared angrily down at Dormie for a moment before turning to Alice. "And you!" He said pointing at her. "Next time I say stay put, you do it."

Alice walked over and leaned on his desk. "Oh right I would have been so much better standing around outside while you played hero and faced god only knows what."

"Who are you?" Dormie asked, walking around the desk so he could get a better look at her.

"Alice." Mentally she cringed and waited for the obligatory 'The Alice?' question to be asked. The question never came however because he seemed to be too busy looking her up and down. She had seen that look before and knew full well just how creepy it was.

"Dormie!" Hatter shouted, slapping his hand on the desk. "She's not a piece of meat."

Dormie immediately downcast his eyes and quickly scurried over to Hatter. "Sorry boss, didn't mean to eye up your girl."

Hatter grunted and sat down in the chair. Dormie seemed to recover from his fear quickly. "So since you are alive that means you must have a plan for reopening the shop, right?"

Hatter quickly pulled his hat down over his eyes. "Not at the moment, no. I've been through a lot these last few days and I really haven't had time to think about it."

Alice brushed off some of the debris on the white couch before sitting down. She swung her legs up and leaned back trying to get comfy. She had a feeling Hatter would be talking to Dormie for awhile and she really wanted to get off her feet.

Neither Dormie nor Hatter seemed to notice her as they continued talking. "Boss, we need to be quick about this. Once the dust settles people are going to need something to replace Tea. We need to be pushing the next big thing in Wonderland."

Hatter flipped his hat back up and leaned forward to bring his face closer to the short man. "What do you suggest?"

"Dancing girls!" Dormie shouted flipping his hands in the air with wave of his overly long selves.

Hatter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "For the love of all, Dormie you suggest that every time we start a new shop and every time I tell you no."

"Hey those casino girls need to find work somewhere. I bet they'd be _grateful_ for it too." Alice cringed at the way he said grateful. She'd known the man less than five minutes and she could already tell he was a pervert.

Thankfully Hatter wasn't for his idea. "I'm not going to deal in people Dormie, that's bad business."

The two continued to argue. Alice closed her eyes and tried to think of something Hatter could do with his shop. She hadn't been in Wonderland long or seen even a quarter of the city. In both the upper and lower city she had seen businesses but none offering entertainment. "So what do you guys do for fun?"

"Pardon?" Hatter asked

"Like, what do you guys do for a good time? Dinner, dancing, movies, music, stuff like that."

Dormie peered at her over Hatters desk. "You're not from here, are you?"

"No, Dormie, she's an Oyster." Dormie opened his mouth to speak but Hatter held up his finger effectively silencing him. "Not one word from you."

Alice got up and walked over stand in front of his desk. "If people have been relying on Tea to make them feel happy or excited, they're going to need to fill that void with something right? People from my world usually go out and do things together to have fun."

Hatter got up from his chair and walked over to her. "Entertainment really hasn't been big in Wonderland for some time. The queen made a lot of things contraband when she came into power."

"So what, people just sit around all day and get blasted off Tea? No one goes out with friends? People don't date?"

Hatter started walking circles around her much like he had the day they met. "Not a lot of point in dating, ya know, since you could just get the good bits in easy liquid form."

That was probably part of the Queen's way of keeping people dependent on her. Cutting them off from connecting with each other would definitely drive more people to Tea use, making them more dependent on her. "So you should make the shop some place people can go to meet and have fun. Like a night club or something. I'm sure the first thing people will do is turn to each other for comfort."

Hatter stopped circling her and now stood behind her. She was a little surprised when she felt his hands rest on her hips. "Makes sense people would want to start turning toward their own emotions. Nothing like a very pretty girl in a pretty dress to stir things up in a man's heart."

He reached up and brushed her hair over one shoulder. She felt him lean forward pressing closer to her back. She reached down and placed her hand over the one he still had on her hip. "You think its a good idea then?"

She felt a shiver run down her spine when he pressed his face next to hers. "Yeah, brilliant idea. We need to make it nice and cozy right?" He was whispering right against her ear and his lips were so close they were almost kissing her. His hands were both on her hips again and he pulled gently on her coaxing her to lean back against him. "Maybe something with dim lighting and soft music?"

"Ummhmm" She murmured relaxing into his hold and letting her eyes slip closed. She could feel him moving against her, his cheek rubbing against her neck. The feel of his light stubble rubbing her skin was wonderful and she fought against herself to keep little moans from slipping out.

Hatter lightly kissed her ear and she let out a breathy sigh. Her eyes were still closed tightly and she was so very warm. Everything was going lovely and then suddenly a loud snore erupted from the other end of the room.

She felt Hatter go completely tense and his fingers pressed hard into her hips. His face pulled away from her quickly. She lamented the loss of warmth for a moment but was grateful that he had moved away from her ear when he started shouting. "Dormie!"

The little man woke, shocked awake from the screaming of his name. "I'm not sleeping boss, I swear. I was just resting my eyes." Dormie paused, taking in Alice and Hatter standing in front of him obviously seeing how close they were. "Were we still talking?"

Hatter made an angry little click with his tongue before yelling at Dormie again. "No, I'm done with you! Come back in the morning, and lock the door behind you. "

"Yes boss." Dormie lowered his eyes and tried to quickly scamper out of the room.

As he passed Alice called out to him. "Dormie, there are some bags outside the door. Would you mind bringing them in for me before you go?"

Hatter was still right behind her so she couldn't turn to see if he'd heard her or not. He must have because she heard the shuffle of his feet stop before he called back. "Yes, boss lady."

The office door closed and Hatter sighed and leaned back into her. "Now, where was I?" He pulled her back into his embrace and reached out to pull her coat down her shoulder, exposing the curve of her neck. He stopped when he felt her shaking under his hold.

"Alice?" He looked up to see her hand pressed against her mouth and her eyes shut tight. "Are you laughing?"

Her hand slipped from her mouth and she started laughing. He let go of her and stepped sideways so he could look at her face. "What in the world is so funny?"

She shook her head and backed away from him. "Its just..." She said trying to regain her composure. "Dormie reminded me of something from my world." Apparently talking about it made it funny again because she fell into laughter once more.

Hatter sighed as he watched her sink down to the couch. "Right, this is getting me nowhere. You have your little laugh and I'll go take your things upstairs."

Alice still laughing wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. "Hatter, I'm so sorry."

Alice took a few moments to compose herself before she followed Hatter. She felt slightly bad she had spoiled what had been a tender moment between them. She hoped he wasn't too angry or that he took her laughter the wrong way.

He had left the door to the upstairs open for her. She closed it behind her and walked the short flight of stairs to his flat. When she entered she saw he was already at the closet putting her things on hangers and sliding them next to his shirts. Stacked on the bed were about twenty of his shirts, obviously removed from the closet to make room for her things.

Suddenly, she was struck by the realization that she was living, actually living with Hatter. She sat down at the foot of the bed watching him, not really knowing what to say. There could be no greater example of the situation than seeing his things removed from his closet and replaced with hers.

Hatter didn't seem to notice at all. He was simply hanging her clothes up like it was the most natural thing in the world. She wondered if he felt put out by her. After all she was already living in his home, sleeping in his bed, and now she was taking up space in his closet. She knew there was nothing she could do about it but she couldn't help feeling like she was encroaching on his life.

There wasn't even a way for her to contribute to living here. She had no money and no skills that would be useful to him. She could clean and maybe she could cook but she didn't really know that much about wonderland food. She had the thought that it might have been easier too just take Jack up on his offer of a room at the palace. At least in that situation she would feel he _owed_ her everything she was getting. Taking advantage of Jack would have been relatively guilt free. Jack lied to her and used her, he owed her, plain and simple. In comparison she owed Hatter a debt so deep it would take her a lifetime to repay it.

"You really do like neutral colors don't you?" She looked up to see Hatter holding out a gray slip dress.

She tried to push her negative thoughts away. "You don't like that one either?"

He placed it in the closet and reached for the next one. "I'm just noticing a trend thats all."

"Hatter is all this ok with you?"

He paused and looked at her, hanger in one hand and a shirt in the other. "Is what ok?"

"This." She said motioning at the space around her. "The whole thing. Me being here, living off you, living with you. I just..." She didn't really know what to say or how she expected him to answer. She just knew she couldn't go on pretending like this was something normal.

Hatter leaned back against the closet door. There was a long silence between them as he looked at her and she looked anywhere but at him. Finally he answered her. "This is a trick question, isn't it? You women are fickle things. There's no correct answer to this, is there?"

She looked up at him shocked. "No, its not a trick."

"Of course it is." He said shaking the hanger at her. His voice was stern and slightly raised and she could tell he was teetering on the edge of anger."If I tell you I'm put off by you being here you'll be mad and hurt, and leave. If I say I love having you here, with me, and not with that pompous prince of yours, you'll think I'm jealous, or clingy or possessive and leave. And the kicker of the whole thing," he crossed the space between them and stood over her. "Is that if I say nothing, you'll draw your own conclusions. Which I'm sure are a thousand times worse than any answer I could give you."

She didn't like what he was implying. Like she would play games with him or intentionally try to trap him into arguing with her. She stood, causing him to back up a bit. "I'm not trying to trick you, I wouldn't do that."

Hanger still in hand, Hatter reached up and scratched his head, the hanger knocking his hat back a bit. "You trust me." It wasn't a question it was a statement.

She looked at him not understanding what he was getting at. "Yeah."

"Then believe me when I say that I enjoy having you here. For as long as you're in Wonderland, this is your home, I want you here. I told you, if you got stuck here I would take care of you."

She cast her eyes back towards the floor. "You don't have to."

"You're right, I want to."

She didn't know what to say. She regretted questioning him especially since he brought up her trust issue again. What was wrong with her? Even when she trusted someone completely, which she really did trust him, somehow her doubts managed to get the better of her.

He tossed both shirt and hanger to the bed and placed his hands on her shoulders. He pulled her gently towards him, not enough to actually move her, just encourage her to move into his embrace if she wanted to. Which she did. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder still unable to look at him.

His arms tightened around her returning her embraced and he rested his cheek against her hair. "I know it's hard for you, and you feel out of place here, but you can't question everything." He pulled away just enough to look at her. "Ok?"

"I'm sorry." she said hoping he would forgive her or at least believe her.

"It's ok." He stepped to the side and pulled her towards the closet. "Now, help me put your things away and then let's figure out what we're going to do about dinner."

They returned to the closet and put the second bag of clothes away. As each new item went on a hanger. He liked most of what she had picked and commented on the cut or the color of each garment.

The final bag was her nightgowns and undergarments. She took all the nightgowns out at once and handed the pile to Hatter. They were light, cotton nightgowns, short in length and sleeveless but not revealing in anyway. The way Hatter was looking at them she figured he was expecting something more flashy. "The rest is just underwear, I can keep it in the bag if there's no place for it."

He motioned to the dresser against the far wall. "The top draw is mostly empty just pull out what's in there and you can use that."

She pulled the draw open and found a small box and three books. She took the items and placed them on the top of the dresser before filling it with her things.

"Do you want me to leave one of these out?" She turned to see him holding up a light blue nightgown.

Alice walked over and took it from him. "If Dormie's coming over early, I don't want him seeing me half dressed. I'd rather just wear your things again."

Hatter close the closet and went to the bed, grabbing his shirts. "Dormie has never been up here, he doesn't know where I live."

Alice looked at him questioningly. "You don't trust him?"

Hatter hesitated a moment before replying. "It's not that I don't trust him, I just don't think he could keep his mouth shut if he needed too."

There was a harsh buzzing coming from near the door. It sounded the same as the intercom system most apartments used. She watched Hatter walk over to a small metal plate in the wall that didn't look anything like the one in her apartment. This just looked like a set of small black and white squares.

He pressed his finger to one of the black squares. "Yeah?'"

A voice sounded back stating that it was the Nine of Clubs coming to check on Alice.

Hatter replied that they would be right down. He held the front door open and motioned for Alice to follow. "Best let them see you're still alive and well. If not, Jackie might send all the Suits looking for you."

Nine and three other Suits were waiting for them outside the shop. Nine bowed slightly in greeting. "His majesty sent us to inquire on how you are faring and to assist you in anything you may need."

"As you can see," said Hatter gesturing towards her. "She's fine."

"Yes" said Nine clasping his hands together. "I'm sure his majesty will be pleased to hear."

"How are things going at the palace? Did Jack get everyone set up ok?"

"Oh, yes, the Oysters. They have been relocated."

He said it so simply, as if it were a fact she already knew about. "Relocated to the palace?"

"No," Nine said shaking his head. "A safer place has been found for them so they have all been moved."

"Moved to where?" Hatter asked.

"I'm not privy to that information I'm afraid." Nine quickly changed the subject. "Which brings me to my second order of business. His Majesty would like for you, Alice, to meet with him tomorrow afternoon. Also, Lord Caterpillar requests to meet with you, Hatter."

"Caterpillar?" Hatter said, his voice squeaking in surprise. "What would he want me for?"

"Again, I'm not privy to that information. All I can tell you is a Scarab will meet you here at noon tomorrow and take you both to the palace."

Hatter looked like he wanted to argue with the Club but Alice put her hand on his arm and interrupted him. "We'll be ready at noon then. Please tell Jack and Caterpillar to expect us."

Nine bowed once more then Alice and Hatter watched as they left. Hatter looked down at her. "Why did ya stop me? Don't you want to know what all this is about?"

Alice sighed, still looking in the direction the Suits had left. "He wasn't going to tell us anything more then he was ordered to. We'll just have find out what's going on when we get to the palace tomorrow."

Hatter wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Well then, no point in worrying. You hungry?" Alice nodded and Hatter lead her back inside.

a/n

I know I'm a dork but what Alice thought was so funny about Dormie was he reminded her of the character Tattoo from the show Fantasy Island. If your too young and don't know what I'm talking about don't worry about it. I'm lame, I know. I had to have something interrupt Hatter from making out with Alice in his office.

I do promise eventually something big is going to happen and these two will stop sidestepping each other and come right out with their feelings. You'll just have to suffer with me through four more chapters.


	8. Conversations in the dark

_A/n_

_Just a few things quick. First sorry about the late update, I had a convention at work that took me away from home for a few days. Second, I have also posted a one-shot that I've had laying around my computer if anyone wants to check that out. Its in my collection of one-shots called Bliss._

_Lastly, a few people have pointed out that I could use a beta reader. Now my boyfriend does read each chapter before I post them but he's only one man and cant catch every mistake I make. So I'm looking for a second beta. If you are interested please send me a message. _

Conversations in the dark

Alice and Hatter cooked dinner together. They made a pasta dish with vegetables and a cheese sauce. Alice had never seen most of the ingredients they were cooking with but Hatter did his best to explain what each was as they cooked it.

After dinner Hatter went to shower while Alice cleaned up the kitchen. Then when he finished she showered and got ready for bed. By the time she was set he was already settled on the couch with his pillow and blanket. He had a cup of tea on the table next to him and was reading a book . It must have been one he had been reading before they met because it looked like he was already half way into it.

She sat down at the opposite end of the couch, tucking her bare feet beneath her. "What're you reading?"

He sat up and handed her the book. The title was Quotes and Sonnets from the Third Quarter. "The Third Quarter?" She asked confused by the title.

He reached forward and grabbed his cup of tea. "It's a measurement of time. Time in Wonderland stops and starts when one ruling government is taken over by the next. With the Hearts in power we're in the Fifth Quarter. If another house took over, say the Diamonds or the Spades, then we would begin the Sixth Quarter."

"What about the Clubs?"

Hatter shrugged his shoulders and sipped his tea. "To be a ruling family you would have to be able to trace your lineage back to the Red Queen. I don't think the Clubs have ever married into that bloodline. But who knows, those royals are so inbreed I'm sure they've all got a bit of the old family in them."

She rolled her eyes at his comment. She opened the book and flipped carefully through the first few pages. She didn't really understand the quotes and the sonnets made little sense. "So then this is a Wonderland book from the Great Library?"

Hatter nodded. "I got this during a particularity rough food shortage. I managed to get enough food down to the Library to keep everyone feed and this was what Dodo payed me with. Third quarter era books are hard to come by and most are the last copy."

She closed the book and handed it back to him. "Do you think the Great Library will be open to the public again?"

Hatter placed the book on the coffee table and leaned back into the soft cushions of the couch. "Not anytime soon. Dodo runs the Library and he'll only let the kingdom have it when he feels things are stable again."

"Jack was in the resistance, does that mean he knows where the Library is?"

Hatter shook his head. "Dodo never mentioned the prince being on our side so I doubt it. But, who am I ta say. I don't know if you noticed but he wasn't very found of me."

Alice leaned in and placed her hand on his knee. "You don't say! You know I was wondering why he shot you."

"I don't know why he hated me so much, I did everything I could for that old bird and he never once treated me with a lick of respect. In all the years I helped him not once did I get a thank you." Hatter huffed and crossed his arms over his chest obviously taking offense to Dodo's mistreatment of him.

"Well he may not have appreciated you but Owl and Duck seemed to, and I'm sure the other refugees did too." Alice scooted closer to him. "You put your own neck on the line to help them. If the queen had found out about you she probably would have had you killed."

Hatter reached for her hand and held it gently, playing idly with her fingers. "I did have a few close calls. Luckily, I can talk my way out of just about anything."

Alice laughed and leaned in closer so their shoulders were pressed together. "Hatter I bet you could sell Ice to Eskimos."

Hatter smiled. "Of course I could. What's an Eskimo?"

The moment is light and friendly while they talk and laugh. Once the words fade away and silence fell between them Alice was suddenly aware of how close they were. Both seated on the couch and mostly undressed, their bare arms were pressed together and he was still holding her hand. She didn't feel uncomfortable she just didn't know what she should be doing in this situation. She didn't know what he was expecting her to do and it made her feel like a teenager on her first date.

He let go of her hand and turned on the couch to arrange his pillow ."It's getting late, you should get to bed."

She felt a mix between disappointment and relief at being sent away. She nodded and stood up. "Do you want me to leave the light on so you can read?"

Hatter laid down on the couch again. "No, turn it off."

She turned off the light and crawled into bed. She tried to settle down to sleep and let her mind wander over all the things that had happened that day. She ran through her conversations with Lettie and Rose, meeting Dormie, that moment in his office when he was kissing her and then the argument they had. She thought of how he told her he didn't trust Dormie with knowing where he lived. Hatter had said that before to, that he didn't want anyone to know where he lived. Did that mean she was the only other person he had brought up here? That couldn't be true, what would he do with girlfriends if he didn't bring them up here?

"Hatter?"

"Yeah?" He sounded like he was still wide awake.

"You really don't let anyone know you live up here?"

"Why, are you worried? No one knows where we are Alice, we're perfectly safe."

Alice sat up in bed. She knew she couldn't see him from where she was lying but she still wanted to look at him while she talked. "No that's not it, I was just wondering how many people know you live up here."

"I told you, no one knows where I live, it's safer that way."

"What about girlfriends? They didn't wonder where you live?"

There was a long silence between them and Alice wondered if she had overstepped her bounds by asking him such a personal question. She heard a rustling from the couch and then he answered her. "I haven't been in a relationship since I bought this place and started selling Tea. The girls that keep my company are more worried about what Teas they can get out of me then anything about my personal life. They didn't care where I lived as long as they knew where to find me when they needed something. It was better that way, between trying to keep the Queen off my back and helping the resistance, my situation was too dangerous to drag anyone else into. "

"So they were just using you for a quick fix?" There was more rustling coming from across the room and if she strained her eyes enough she could almost see that he was sitting up on the couch. She couldn't tell if he was looking at her or not. In the dark she could only see his outline.

"Well to be fair I was using them too, and they knew it. Hell, half the time I couldn't even remember their names. They knew I didn't plan on keeping them around." There was a pause and then she heard him laugh.

"Why is that funny?" She asked.

"I was just thinking about what you said. You're right I never did have anyone else up here. Now I finally have a beautiful woman in my bed and I am sleeping alone on the couch." Alice laughed and she heard Hatter sigh. "Of course you think that's funny. Ya know normally if a bloke saves a girl multiple times she shows her gratitude in various unmentionable ways."

If it had been any man other than Hatter implying that she should sleep with them she would have been insulted. From the tone of his voice she knew that he was joking with her, well mostly anyways. "You're right, I completely forgot, there's a rule in my world that if a man rides in on horse back and saves you, you have to sleep with him."

"Really!?"

She knew he couldn't see her but she pulled the blanket up to hid her smile anyways. "Yep too bad it didn't work out for you that time."

Hatter made an aggravated noise and she heard him flop back down on the couch. "Oh you would have to bring up the one time I failed wouldn't you. So it wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had, you don't have to make fun of me for it."

"Oh come on Hatter. You took on fifteen Suits, by yourself, on horse back, wielding a sword. Whether or not you saved me, it was still impressive."

"Yeah, impressively stupid."

She had never asked him about that day or what his plan had been. She figured Charlie was supposed to get her out of danger while the suits were busy with Hatter. "What would you have done if Charlie had gotten me out of there?"

"Well," He paused thinking. "I would have tried to get away but that wouldn't have happened. I knew I was going to get caught."

That was it, that was his plan!? He was really going to exchange his life for hers? "Are you serious? That was your plan?"

"I told you, it was stupid. Can't you just forget about it?"

She hadn't thought it was stupid. She remembered being captured by the Suits and the despair she felt at being taken back to the Casino and the Queen. She remembered how bad it felt knowing that Jack had been using her to help the resistance and how her heart broke when her father looked right at her and didn't know who she was. She had felt useless, she had lost the ring, had no hope of getting home, and no one left to help her.

Then Hatter came for her and he was trying to save her again. He was the only person in Wonderland who seemed to care for her for reasons other than who her father was or the fact she had a magic ring. The man she hadn't trusted, even after he'd saved her life twice, was the only one who seemed to care about her safety. If he hadn't come back for her she might not have found the strength to keep fighting.

"Hatter it might not have been the most well thought out plan but it was still the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. You were willing to risk your own life just for the chance of saving mine. I'll never forget that, I would never want to."

She paused trying to think of the right words to say. "You came to save me twice when you could have just as easily abandoned me. I hadn't done anything to deserve that kind of devotion from you but you still came for me. No one has ever done anything like that for me before. There's nothing I could ever do to thank you enough for that."

There was silence between them and Alice was beginning to wonder if he was going to reply. It was a full minute later before he finally did. "That you feel that way means a lot to me Alice. Thank you." His voice low, just above a whisper. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Now go to sleep, we can talk tomorrow if ya want. Ok?"

Alice laid down in the bed again and pulled the blankets up around her. "Ok, Good night Hatter."

"Night, Alice."

_a/n_

_Next chapter should be up by Sunday._


	9. Newspapers

Newspapers

"Alice."

"Hmm?" Alice was woken from a sound sleep by Hatter quietly calling her name and softly rubbing her arm. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times to bring the world into focus. She saw Hatter kneeling at the side of the bed. It was still early, the sun just barely lighting up the room.

"Morning." He said smiling at her. "Dormie's downstairs, we're going to go down to the Lower City for a bit. I should be back in a few hours."

She sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes. "Ok, you want me to go with you?"

"No." He said standing. "You stay here, you can go back to sleep if ya like. When I come back I'll bring ya some breakfast."

Alice sat up and stretched her arms high above her head trying to shake the last remnants of sleep away. "Just be careful." She said yawning.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek quickly before she could even react to him. "I'll be back before ya know it."

Hatter left and Alice laid back down on the bed. She had never been a morning person. This was the second day in a row that Hatter had been up and out the door before dawn. She wondered if he was like this all the time or if this was just because he was so busy recently. Begrudgingly she pushed the blankets off and got out of bed. She wasn't going to just lay around while Hatter worked. She decided she would spend the morning cleaning the shop. She dressed in a pair of Hatter's pants and one of his less flashy shirts. She hoped he wouldn't mind because she didn't really feel comfortable cleaning in a dress.

She found a broom and dustpan in the kitchen along with trash bags. She went downstairs and after a few hours the Trade Room had been cleared away of glass and trash. She stacked the chairs and tables that were still in good shape against one wall and piled the broken ones near the front door. She didn't know where to put the trash, she'd have to wait for Hatter to get back to finish clearing everything away.

She figured she had an hour or so before she had to get ready to leave for the palace and decided to start straightening up Hatter's office. She knew the first thing he would want done was to clean off the grass and hopefully get it looking healthy again. She had picked up most of the loose papers scattered around the room when she heard the front door open. "Hatter? I'm back here."

The office door pushed open and Alice was disappointed to see Dormie walk in. "Good morning Alice." He said as he set a white bag down on Hatters desk. "Did you clean up in the front?"

"Yeah, I did. Where's Hatter?"

"Oh, He went to talk to Gryphon." Dormie said it like this was something she should already know. "Hatter said he wouldn't be long and he wanted me to bring you something to eat." Dormie pulled Hatter's white chair up from the back and patted the seat. "Come on, you are hungry aren't you?"

Alice took the seat offered to her. Dormie wasn't ideal company but she was hungry. "Who is Gryphon?"

Dormie pulled a chair from across the room and set it up next to the desk. He reached into the bag and pulled out two large flaky pastries, handing one to Alice. "Gryphon deals in liquor, Hatter's going to have him stock the shop."

"I thought alcohol was illegal." She said before she took a bite of her pastry

The little man smiled at her. "Not anymore. The prince revoked all the Queens old laws. Liquor, music, theater, books, they're all legal again. Hatter wants to open a club just like you talked about." He winked at her. "The boss is a lucky guy to have a pretty girl with a good head for business."

"Thanks, I think." She finished her pastry quickly, not really knowing what to talk to Dormie about. It turned out she didn't have to worry too much because before he could finish eating he had fallen asleep. He started snoring slightly and little bits of pastry fell from his mouth.

She wondered what made him fall asleep so often, maybe he had a medical condition or something. She would have to remember to ask Hatter when she got the chance. This being Wonderland she wouldn't be surprised if Dormie was simply born that way and no one blinked an eye at him nodding off all the time. While Dormie slept, Alice finished clearing away the last of the rubble off the ruined grass carpet.

She heard the front door open again and a few moments latter Hatter walked into the office. He was carrying a stack of newspapers under one arm and a large box in the other. "I see you've been busy today."

He held the box out to her and she took it and set it on his desk for him. "Yeah, I figured it was a good idea to get that glass up before one of us got hurt."

She started to open the box to see what was inside but Hatter stopped her. "Don't go opening that now, it's a surprise for later. Here, I've got something better for ya." Hatter set the pile of newspapers on the desk, flipping through them quickly before handing her one. "You should read this, you're front page news luv."

Alice took the newspaper and sat on the couch. The paper wasn't very large, only about eight pages long. This one was called The Great City Gazette. The front page article read 'New Alice of Legend topples house of cards'. She read the first few paragraphs before looking back up at Hatter. "Where did they get all this information about me?"

Hatter was holding another newspaper in his hands but he wasn't reading it. "Who knows, the press here hasn't been active since the Queen came into power. Jack reinstated them yesterday and already there are fifteen different newspapers being printed." He gestured towards the stack next to him. "Some of the stories have bits of fact in them but most are just made up rubbish. The one I gave you seems to have most of it right."

He reached into the stack holding up each paper as he went through them. "This one says you were an Oyster assassin hired by the resistance to kill the Queen. This one says I was a resistance leader and I singlehandedly saved you from a pack of starving Jabberwocks. This one says you and Jack worked together to knock his mother off the throne so you could become Queen. This one,is my favorite. " He said with a crooked smile. "It says I bought you off a rat catcher for a bottle of excitement so you could be my slave."

Alice laughed at the last one. "Oh, so they're all full of shit hmm?"

Hatter looked down at the paper in his hands. "No, that's pretty accurate. I did buy you luv, technically I do own you. Never really thought about the slave thing though."

Alice rolled her eyes, she wasn't going to dignify that with a response. "You think they talked to Ratty about that one?"

"He probably sought them out, offering his story for a hefty fee. Some people just can't keep their mouths shut." Hatter glared at Dormie's sleeping form. He picked up the last paper in the stack and rolled it up tight before whacking it hard across Dormie's head.

"What?!" Dormie screamed almost falling out of his seat. "Oh, boss you're back. Things go well with Gryphon?"

Hatter continued to glare angrily at Dormie. He held the paper out in front of the shorter man's face. "Do you know what this is?"

The smile fell from Dormie's face as he stared at the paper. "I guess the royals let the papers start printing again."

Hatter pulled the paper away and leaned over Dormie. "Do you have any idea what this paper says about Alice?"

Dormie slowly slid off the chair never taking his eyes off Hatter. His face had paled and he was backing away. "No boss, I... have no idea."

"Oh really." Hatter continued to advance on the nervous little man. "Why don't I let Alice read this to you then."

"No boss, I don't think she needs to read that trash. She don't look like the kind of girl who likes to gossip." He finished his sentence with a nervous laugh and a smile in her direction.

Hatter backed Dormie against the far wall. He turned around and tossed Alice the paper. "Alice, will you read out loud the third paragraph in that article on the front for me."

Alice searched the paper for what he wanted her to read. The title of the article was 'Is Alice still in Wonderland?' She skimmed the article reading the paragraph Hatter had mentioned out loud. "The Wonderland Daily has spoken to an exclusive inside source who confirmed the rumor that the Oyster Alice did not returned through the looking glass with the others of her kind. Instead she has chosen to remain with her lover Hatter, a former Tea House owner and resistance insider. This fact coincides with a statement released by the palace confirming that Prince Jack will not be marrying Alice as some papers are reporting but will marry the Duchess Diane of Diamonds. Our source reveals Alice and Hatter are living together and that Alice plans to remain in Wonderland."

Alice finished reading and looked up at the two men across the room. Hatter was staring angrily down at Dormie, his hands fisted at his sides. Dormie was trembling slightly and staring at the ground. Suddenly Dormie dashed around Hatter and ran to hide behind the desk.

Hatter quickly turned around and walked to the opposite side of the desk. He lurched forward across the desk and grabbed Dormie by his coat easily lifting him a few inches off the ground. "Why the hell would you tell anyone Alice was living here! Do you have any idea what kind of danger you've put her in?"

Dormie reached out and grabbed Hatter's arm. He was squirming slightly trying to get out of the hold he was in. "Boss I swear to you I didn't know she was a reporter. I didn't even know the papers were back. She was coming on too me, I though she was interested in me. I didn't know please believe me."

Dormie's confession only seemed to make Hatter more angry. "You sold me out for a skirt? You stupid little rat!"

Hatter released Dormie who quickly backed away. "You know how I get around women boss, I didn't know what I was doing? You know I wouldn't double cross you, not knowingly anyways. I would never hurt you or Alice. Please you've got to forgive me, it was an accident."

Alice wasn't happy with what Dormie had done but she couldn't stand listening to him beg for forgiveness. She got up and tried to calm Hatter down. "Hey, It might not be so bad. Most of these papers are trash right? How many people are actually going to believe what they read in here?" Alice held up all the papers for Hatter to see. "There's so much bullshit in these no one will believe the truth."

While Alice had Hatter distracted Dormie slipped out of the room and ran for the front door. If Hatter noticed he didn't let on. "Alice all those other papers think you went back. They think all the Oysters went back. If the papers think you're still here they could come looking for you. They could go digging around for the others. This is dangerous."

Alice reached out and held Hatter's hands. "Look, its done already, there's nothing we can do about it. If it wasn't Dormie telling them I'm still here they would have found out some other way. We'll talk to Jack about it when we get to the palace ok?" She didn't wait for him to answer, instead she pulled him out of the office and towards the stairs. "Come on, let's get ready, we'll be leaving soon."

Hatter followed her upstairs and watched as she walked over towards the closet and started flipping through her things. He walked over to the bed and flopped down lazily on his back. Alice had calmed him a little but he was still angry at Dormie. He'd been so excited when Gryphon told him about the papers being printed again. He used to love reading the paper in the morning, even if the information wasn't always the truth. The return of the newspaper would have been a blessing if not for the fact that the biggest news in Wonderland at the moment was Alice. While most of the papers were being kind and hailing both Alice and himself as heroes, there were a few that decided to twist the truth for better reading.

As soon as he read that article about Alice remaining in Wonderland he knew Dormie had been behind it. Dormie was the only person besides Lettie and Rose who knew Alice was living with him. He knew neither of the girls had said anything. He would bet his life on the fact Lettie would never betray him and as much as Rose hatted him she was a good girl and was fond enough of Alice that she wouldn't put her in danger.

"Is there a dress code for meetings with royalty? What do you think I should wear."

Hatter looked over to see Alice holding up a ivory colored dress against herself. It was one of the few dresses she acquired from Lettie that he really, really, liked. It was a short, frock dress, which was paired with a elegant little slip that peeked out just below the hem of the dress. She would look fabulous in that dress and that wasn't something he was willing to share with Jack Heart.

"Well since you are meeting with the future King I would suggest something dark and in no way formfitting or sexy."

Alice looked at him a moment before she smiled and shook her head. "Hatter, I cant believe you're jealous enough of Jack to care what I wear when we go see him."

"When you go see him Alice." He corrected her, his voice sounding a little more stern then he had intended. "I doubt the prince wants anything to do with me." Hatter had never been the jealous type but two days ago the only person she could think about was Jack and he didn't want to take a chance on rekindling any remaining feeling between the two.

He felt her weight rest on the edge of the bed and he looked up at her. She didn't look like she was angry with him, in fact she was smiling. It wasn't a pity smile either, it was that heart stopping smile she let show so rarely, the one that always made his knees go weak. "Hatter, I could probably leave dressed like this and you still wouldn't be happy."

He reached out and touched the collar of the shirt she wore. Of all his things she could have chosen to wear she would have to pick this shirt. It was old and a bit frayed at the edges but it was still his favorite and she looked wonderful in it. How the hell she could make a man's shirt look so damn sexy he would never know. No, he never want Jack to see her like this. He might as well just give up and face the fact that he simply didn't want Jack to ever lay eyes on her again.

He wished the mirror was working. At least then he could sweep her back to her world and no longer have to worry about Jack Heart. Of course that would be a whole other kettle of onions wouldn't it? She had said she had a bad record liking guys. She probably left a string of broken hearts trailing behind her in her world. So his choices were to compete with a number of faceless ex lovers in her world or stay in Wonderland where his only competition at the moment was the King himself. Either way, he was screwed.

He sighed and closed his eyes trying his hardest not to look like a lovesick idiot. "Alice, I don't care what you wear today. All I'm saying is Jack's not bringing you to the palace for afternoon tea. I'll bet ya anything he tries to talk you into staying with him today."

"Hatter the paper said he's marrying the Duchess and even if he wasn't I already told him no. He probably just wants to tell me about the mirror or where he's moved the others. Even if that is what he wants, you're just going to have to _trust me_ that I'm not going to run away from you." She reached out and knocked his hat back onto the bed. "So stop being silly."

Alice got up and strode over to the closet. He watched her quickly pull a shirt and a skirt off the rack before she disappeared into the bathroom. Reaching for his hat he stood up, righted the fedora atop his head and straightened his rumpled clothing. Maybe he shouldn't worry so much about Alice. She was right after all, he'd just have to trust her and that was that. What he should be worrying over was why the leader of the resistance wanted to speak to him. Despite what people were starting to believe about him, he wasn't important to the resistance. Sure he helped feed the refugees in the Library and he did help inform on the Queen's activities, but other than that he hadn't been of much use. Surely he wasn't important enough for Caterpillar to take notice of him.

The bathroom door opened and Alice stepped out. The shirt she chose was dark blue in color and had a wide ruffled neckline and hung loosely where it stopped at her hips. The skirt she paired with it was white, free flowing, and fell just above her calves. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and

her long bangs were swept up and tucked behind her right ear, being held in place by the hairpin he gave her yesterday.

She slipped on her shoes and her purple velvet coat. "Ready?"

No, he was far from ready but he smiled anyway and held the door open for her. "Absolutely."

A/n

Sorry for the late update. Thanks for all the reviews! And Chibi-kaz, I took your advice and wrote from Hatters point of view. I think it worked out quite well so thanks for that!


	10. Of Hearts

A/n

A big thank you to Iellix for offering to beta for this story. She did an excellent job with this. If you haven't read her works here I suggest you do, she's an amazing author!

Of Hearts

The Scarab dropped Alice and Hatter off in front of a sprawling complex that Hatter explained was the proper Heart's palace. Alice was stunned at how different it was from the Casino. The Heart's Casino was decorated to look like sixties retro; in comparison, the palace was extremely traditional. The building was obviously old and made of thick white stone and highly polished white marble with red veining. On the walls hung huge oil paintings and ornate tapestries detailing the Heart's past glories. None of the windows were plain glass, each had a certain amount of etching or staining and from what she saw no two were alike.

They followed the Nine of Clubs and a man who introduced himself as Moth through the long halls of the palace. Moth worked for Caterpillar. He was an older man, small with very pale skin and he wore glasses that in Alice's world would have been referred to as Coke-bottle glasses.

The hallway came to a circular room with large windows. It was clearly some kind of seating area or entertaining room. There were lavishly carved wooden benches and chairs surrounded by large plants and flowers.

Nine motioned towards one of the large benches. "Alice if you will have a seat I'll announce to his majesty that you are here."

Nine left down another hallway and Moth asked Hatter to follow him and moved quickly in the opposite direction. Hatter turned to her before he left.

"Let's meet back here when we're done, ok?" He waited for her to nod before he rushed down the hall after Moth.

Alice wandered around the seating room, looking over the different potted plants and flowers scattered about. She stopped in front of the large windows and looked out into the garden below. Given the elaborate décor of the rest of the palace she had expected the royal gardens to be equally stunning. Instead the large expanse of land was actually quite plain and the only flowers she could see were white roses. She had expected red roses but maybe the Queen had liked white.

"Lady Alice, Prince Jack will see you now."

She turned to see Nine standing behind her. She followed him towards the large doors of the throne room and he pushed them open.

"Your majesty, the Lady Alice, as you requested."

Alice entered behind Nine and walked past him into the throne room. Jack stood at the dais of his throne, dressed in a dark red suit just as he had been the last few times she had seen him. His face was cold and emotionless and she couldn't help but compare him to the sweet happy man he pretended to be in her world.

"You may leave us," he said dismissing nine, who bowed low before leaving the room and closed the doors behind him.

It would have been a lie to say she wasn't nervous around Jack. Things had changed between them and she no longer felt comfortable in his presence. Once they were alone Jack closed the distance between them. He gave her a ghost of a smile but she could tell it was forced.

"Alice, you look lovely. I see you are adjusting well to your stay here." He gestured down at the outfit she was wearing.

Alice smiled. "Thank you, Hatter's making sure I'm taken care of."

His smile faded away and she thought she saw anger flash before his eyes. "Yes, I can see that, and you're fine with all this? Him dressing you," he reached out and brushed his hand over her hair. "Sticking worthless little baubles in your hair?"

Alice stepped back and away from his hand. "That's really none of your business."

Jack stepped to the side shaking his head. His composure was breaking and when he spoke his voice was stern. "I knew you two months. I so much as offer you a ring, and you overreact crying that things were moving to fast. You have known this man four days and you are living with him, Alice. Don't you find that a bit hypocritical?"

"No, because I didn't know you. I knew Jack Chase and he never really existed in the first place." Alice took a deep breath and tried to control herself. She didn't owe him an explanation and she sure as hell wasn't going to argue with him. "Look, if this is all you wanted to see me for, then I'm leaving."

She turned and started towards the door; jack reached out and grabbed her arm.

"No please, I didn't mean to upset you. Please, forget I questioned you." She pulled her arm away from him but she didn't move to leave. "I didn't ask you here to argue, I simply wanted to talk." Alice nodded and waited for him to continue. "I wanted to tell you that we have moved the Oysters to a safe location."

"Where?"

Jack clasped his hands behind his back. "The Hospital of Dreams."

Alice looked up at him with concern. "The Hospital of Dreams? With the recovering Tea addicts?"

Jack shook his head. "No, we removed the patients. Caterpillar has his most trusted men guarding the Hospital, I assure you the Oysters are perfectly safe."

Alice sighed. "Well that makes me feel a little better. What about the mirror?"

He looked away from her, seemingly unable to meet her gaze. "That matter is a bit more complicated. There was an accident."

"What happened?"

"One of the technicians went through the Looking Glass to test the connection." Jack paused. "He did not make it back. It was too soon, and the connection wasn't ready. Because of this incident, I've stopped pressuring them to get the Looking Glass running. I want no more casualties. I ordered them not to test the mirror again until they are certain it will work."

Alice nodded. She felt terrible that someone had died trying to help her. "I understand, I don't want anyone to die rushing us home."

Silence fell between the two and Alice felt very awkward. She really didn't have much to say to him.

"So.." she said, trying to think of something to break the tension that had built up between them. "I read in the paper that you and the Duchess are getting married. Congratulations."

Jack turned and walked away from her and back towards the throne. "I'm marring her because I have to, not because I want to. I don't love her."

Alice threw up her hands in confusion. "You're going to be King, Jack, why would you _have_ to do anything?"

Jack sat on the dais, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Taking the crown the way I have brings complications. The laws of Wonderland state that in order for me to be crowned King, I must have a Queen. If I wait too long to claim my title there are others who would challenge me. Since you turned me down, the Duchess is my only option. I can't afford to waste time courting anyone else."

Even though he had hurt her she still felt bad for Jack. She couldn't imagine being in his position. Jack was being forced to marry, and unless the Duchess managed to make him fall in love with her, he was facing a long, loveless marriage. She knew there was no reason for her to feel guilty, but she did. After all, it was partially her fault, she had turned him down.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

"Alice, you have nothing to apologize for." He paused and looked at her, his icy blue eyes filled with sadness. "I've been thinking about us. You were right, I should have been honest with you. If I had gone about things differently, I could have protected you better. I could have brought you to Wonderland willingly and kept you safe while we secured your father. You never would have fallen into my mother's hands. Had I been honest, you never would have doubted my love for you and maybe you would have stayed with me when I asked."

His words were genuine, this wasn't the rushed explanation he had given her the first time his honesty had come into question.

"Jack, even if you had told me the truth, without seeing this for myself I never would have believed you. I would have thought you were crazy. You cant change what happened. I think things worked out for the best."

"Well at least one of us will be happy." Jack stood up once again assuming his regal stance. "If you would, there is something I would like you to help me with."

"Sure, what is it?"

He walked towards her. "Things are complicated for me. The Resistance holds a great deal of sway among the people. If I don't have the approval of the Resistance leaders, then I face the danger of a coup. At the moment Caterpillar and Turtle both support me. However the other side of the Resistance does not. I'm not my mother Alice, I want no more blood shed. I will negotiate with the Resistance until we can all agree to the terms of my rule."

Alice wasn't sure what he was getting at. How could she help him with the Resistance? "What do you need me to do?"

Jack reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "I need you to be by my side during the negotiations. I would like for you to represent the Oysters, make sure they have a voice in all this. We have to act under the assumption that the Looking Glass may not be operational any time soon. As much as I don't want to tell you this, we do need a plan in case we can't get the mirror working at all."

Her heart sank at his words. "That's a possibility isn't it? That they won't be able to make the connection back to my world."

"The technicians are doing the best they can, Alice. The knights created the Looking Glass and there is little knowledge of how they did things. While the technicians understand how to operate the mirror, they have never had to start it before. I wish I could offer you more certainty, but I cannot."

The thought of being stuck here had occurred to her before but she had pushed it out of her mind, instead choosing to trust in the technician's ability to fix the mirror. Now she had to face the fact that at this point anything could happen. Jack wanted her to make decisions for a thousand people, decide what they would all do if they were stuck in Wonderland.

"Jack, I'm not sure I'm the best person for this."

Suddenly Jack pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly to his chest. "Of course you are Alice, I have faith in you."

She tensed in his arms and immediately he let her go and stepped back. He looked hurt at her response but didn't say anything. "The negations will take place tomorrow. Caterpillar is asking Hatter to sit in on them as well."

She really didn't have a choice. "I'll do what I can, Jack."

Alice left the throne room and walked blindly to the seating area where she said she would meet Hatter.

She sat down on one of the wooden benches, lost in her own thoughts. What would her mother do if she couldn't get home? It would break her mom's heart if she disappeared without a trace just like her father had. The thought of never seeing her mother again hurt more than anything. When her father had died it hurt, but she had had ten years of separation from him. She still loved him but there was no sharp edge to loosing him. Her mom on the other hand had been the only constant in her life. She was the one thing Alice could always depend on, and now she didn't know if she would ever see her again.

And the others, they all had families. How could she face them? How could she tell them they might never see home again?

"Alice?"

She looked up and saw Hatter standing over her, looking down at her, with concern written all over his face. "Alice, what happened? What did he do to you?"

She stood up, unable to meet his eyes. She felt hot tears pooling in her eyes and she fought against letting them fall. She didn't want to cry here. Not in the palace where everyone could see her. "Nothing, I'll tell you when we get home. Can we please just go?"

Hatter wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He fought the urge to question her further and led her towards the Scarab. Her head stayed bowed and her hands were clenched tightly around the edges of her coat. Hatter quickened their pace. He didn't know why she was upset but he wanted to get her far away from here. When they were safely alone in the seating compartment of the Scarab, Alice broke down in tears.

He knelt on the floor trying to see past the hands pressed to her face. "Alice, please stop crying. If Jack did something to upset you just tell me."

She shook her head and when she spoke her voice was soft and raspy. "It's not Jack. It's the mirror."

"Oh Alice." He reached out and brushed away tears from her cheek. "Is this about the accident?"

She blinked a few tears away. "You know about that?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Caterpillar told me."

"Then you know," She was crying again clearly upset further by talking. "That the mirror might not work."

That he didn't know. Caterpillar had told him of the incident with the mirror only because he asked how things were going. He hadn't said anything about he mirror not working. Why the hell would Jack have told her that? "Is that what he told you? That you wouldn't be able to go home?"

"Yeah, he said it was a possibility." She looked at him. "Hatter, what if I never see my mom again? She'll never know what happened to me. It will be just like dad all over again. I can't..." She choked on her words as her emotions overwhelmed her. " And the others, Hatter, what about them? This is horrible."

He got off the floor and sat next to her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "Luv, they'll get it working again, you're upset over something that might not happen. It's not worth your tears."

She pressed her face into his shoulder tears still flowing freely down her face. The thought of loosing her mother was obviously painful to her. Reason wasn't going to work and he wasn't going to let her worry over this.

"Alice if the mirror won't work then you and I will go over to the White Side and look for the Rabbit Hole." If he had been thinking clearly he never would have mentioned the White Side to her. But Alice was upset and he would have told her the sun was square if he thought it would make her stop crying.

Alice picked her head up quickly from his shoulder. "There's another way to my world?"

Somewhere in the back of his mind there was a little voice telling him to shut up and stop talking. He ignored it however, because Alice was looking at him with hope and more importantly her tears were slowing. "Yes, in the White Side, that's where the first Alice fell. She came to Wonderland by way of the Rabbit Hole."

Her tears had stopped and he could see her mind switching gears towards the possibility of a different way home. "Where's the White Side? Have you been there?"

"Yes." That little voice was back and this time he listened to it. He panicked as he realized just how deep he was digging himself. "No." He corrected quickly hoping she wouldn't question his quick turn around. It was too late and Alice was already scrutinizing him. If she questioned him, there would be nothing he could do but tell her the truth. He couldn't even try to lie to her, she was too sharp. No, he _wouldn't_ lie to her, not after everything he gone through to get her to trust him. If she pushed the subject he'd just have to try and get around it. Maybe he could fluff the truth into something she wouldn't be so repulsed by.

"Well, which is it Hatter? Have you ever been to the White Side or not?"

He could tell by the tone of her voice she wasn't so much asking him as she was accusing him of denying a truth. He reminded himself to give short answers, confirm or deny, do not elaborate. "Yes I've been to the White Side."

"Where is it?"

That was a safe question. Maybe he could drowned her in information and she wouldn't press him on anything else. Alice was a curious girl and he could get her lost in learning. "We live here in the Red Side, the part of Wonderland governed by the Red Queen. Likewise the White Side is ruled by the White Queen. Tulgey Wood is a boundary separating White and Red."

Alice thought about what he said before asking another question. "The White and the Red Queen, are they real people?"

Hatter relaxed, thankful they had moved on to safer topics. "No, not really. The Red and White Queens are part of Wonderland. They existed here long before any humans ever did." He tried to think of what the best way of explaining this would be. The Queens existence was something as natural as the rain or the wind to Wonderlanders. He had never really stopped to think about it before. "They're more a part of Wonderland than anything else. See, they used to fight and war with each other, one forcing the other out until they went to war again. Then the first Alice came and helped the White Queen take back her side, forcing the Red Queen out. That was when the Red Queen claimed this side of Tulgey Wood as her territory. Since then, there have been no wars and White and Red sides keep separate."

Alice listened to his explanation intently. "So the Queens are like gods, right?"

Hatter knew little about Oyster religion but he did know that most believed in a higher power. The Queens were definitely on par with that. "Yeah, I guess that's a good way of describing them."

"Ok," she said leaning back into him. "So do you know where the Rabbit Hole is?"

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "No." She froze under him and he quickly tried to put her back at ease. "But it's still there somewhere. It's a hole in the ground, it's not going to just get up and walk away. Growing up there were always no go areas, ya know, places kept hidden away and guarded. The Rabbit Hole is probably in one of those."

"Oh, so you grew up on the White Side?"

Mentally he kicked himself. What the hell was wrong with him? He'd never told anyone about being from the White Side and now he couldn't keep his damn mouth shut. If he needed any proof just how much of a hold Alice had on him, then this was definitely it. If she were anyone else he would deny every last bit of this, swear up and down that he was Red Side born and bred. But again, he knew he couldn't lie to her.

"Yes, but I left there a long time ago. Believe me, I'm not like those people Alice."

She looked up at him questioningly. "What do you mean, like those people?"

Sometimes it slipped his mind that Alice was not a Wonderlander. If she had been she would have been disgusted by the fact he was from the White Side. Thankfully she didn't know better. "They're all crazy over there Alice. Believe me, it's not someplace that you ever want to go." He looked down to find her watching him. "We'll go if we have no other choice. Ok? But until then let's just drop this."

Alice reached out and took his hand, winding her fingers through his. "Ok. Thank you for telling me about the Rabbit Hole. You have no Idea what a relief that is. Even if it's a long shot, I still feel better knowing the options."

They sat there silently, listening to the hum of the Scarab's engine. Alice was lost in her thoughts and Hatter was slowly stroking his hand along her forearm. Hatter thought about his conversation with Caterpillar.

"Alice, Caterpillar asked me to come to the Resistance meeting tomorrow. He said Jack was asking you the same."

Alice nodded. "Yeah, he wants me to represent the Oyster's interests when we discuss being stuck here. Does Jack know about the Rabbit Hole?"

"Yeah, I'm sure he does." Hatter knew Jack would never even suggest going to the White Side. An action like that would start another war. "Don't mention it to him. If it comes to that I'll talk to him, all right?"

"If you say so." Alice said agreeing with him. "I suppose I shouldn't mention to anyone that you're from the White Side either."

"Absolutely not, anything private like that needs to be kept between us. Right?"

"Right." Alice smiled at him. The scarab came to a stop and they both lurched forward.

Hatter stood and helped Alice to her feet. "Come on then. I think that's more then enough aggravation for one day. Let's just relax the rest of the night yeah?"

Alice agreed and they both left the Scarab and headed for the Tea House.


	11. Pot and Kettle

Pot and Kettle

They stepped out of the Scarab and walked up the steps to the Tea House. The front door was slightly open but that didn't seem to bother Hatter. He pushed the door open and the sound of voices could be heard coming from the Trade Room.

As they entered, Dormie came to greet them. Outwardly he didn't seem to be afraid of Hatter but Alice noted he did keep his distance.

"Boss, you're back. I've done everything you asked. I contacted William, and he said he and his son can start work on the bar tomorrow, I had the furniture delivered," he said pointing behind him at the men moving chairs and tables. "And dinner is in your office." When he finished he grinned up at Hatter, looking for approval.

Hatter waved his hand at the little man. "Yes, Dormie, you did well. I don't forgive you, though; we'll see how many weeks you have to work without pay before I do."

Dormie lowered his head "Yeah, I figured that."

Hatter pulled his hat off and ran a hand through his hair. "Is this the last of what they're bringing in?" Dormie nodded. "Right then, get them out of here and lock the door when you're done. You'll have to come back in the morning and let William in. Alice and I have to go to a meeting in the palace."

Hatter flipped his hat back on, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the office. Behind them she heard Dormie yelling at the movers to hurry up and get going. They entered the office and Hatter kicked the door closed behind them. He walked over and looked into the bags of food Dormie got them.

"You want to eat down here or wait until they leave and go upstairs?"

She sat in his chair. "Upstairs," she said, pulling one of her boots off and rubbing at her foot. "I want to get out of these shoes. I've been running for days all over Wonderland in heels, I need a pair of flats or my feet are going to fall off."

He looked down at her and chuckled. "We'll go shopping after our meeting tomorrow. I'll get ya some nice shoes, maybe a lovely pair of sandals to show off your cute little toes."

Alice continued rubbing her foot. "That would be nice."

Hatter pulled up the other chair. "Here, I'll do that."

He reached for her foot but she quickly pulled it back. "Um no, I don't like people touching my feet." Hatter looked a little put off by her comment. She didn't want him to think it was anything against him. "I work in my bare feet so they end up being all rough and calloused. I don't even like touching them, I wouldn't ask you to."

He rolled his eyes before reaching down and grabbing her foot anyway. He placed her foot in his lap and started massaging it, rubbing gentle circles into the arch where her muscles had been slowly cramping all day. "Sorry about this luv, I should have thought you'd need something more comfy to walk in. Why didn't you say something sooner?"

She relaxed under his touch, leaning back and closing her eyes. "I didn't want to bother you over something so petty."

His fingers pressed harder as they worked their way up towards her toes. "Nothing petty about pain." He ran his fingers over a particularly sore spot and she moaned softly in approval. "Nothing wrong with your feet either, they may not be silk smooth but they're not the scouring pads you make them out to be. I like your feet."

Alice smiled sweetly at him. "Well then, I guess I'll let you work on the other one too."

"I planned on it."

The sound of the front door closing rang through the office, signaling that Dormie and the movers had left. "Let's go upstairs. You can lie down on the couch while I do this, you'll be much more comfortable."

Alice pulled her foot off his lap and slid it back into her boot. "Tempting as that sounds, I think we should have dinner first. The only thing I've had to eat today was the light breakfast Dormie brought me. I'm starving."

Hatter stood and grabbed the bags of food and the box from earlier and they both went upstairs. He flicked on the lights and set the food down in the kitchen. Alice kicked her boots off before following him. She pulled out plates and silverware and he dished out the meal Dormie had brought them. It was a chicken dish with steamed vegetables and a sweet spicy sauce. There were also some twisty noodles that tasted like pepper and cinnamon, a flavor combination she didn't like but that he seemed to enjoy.

When they finished she cleared the dishes. Hatter pushed the box at her "Open it." He looked so enthusiastic about whatever this was and she couldn't help but smile.

She opened the box and inside was a bottle of wine and three smaller bottles. "Oh, you got wine."

His shoulders slumped a little at her statement. "What do you mean 'oh'? Alice, do you have any idea how hard it is to find wine in Wonderland?"

She shook her head. This was clearly a big deal to him and he obviously had expected her to react differently. "Sorry but in my world if you want wine you just go to the corner liquor store."

That seemed to smooth things over with him a little. "Well you can't do that here. Wine hasn't been made since the Queen came to power, so it's rare. I had to pay Gryphon a fortune for this." He worked at uncorking the bottle. "How exactly am I to sweep ya off your feet if I make all these grand gestures and you don't think anything of them?"

Alice reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "Hatter, you don't have to do anything grand, you've already treated me better than any another man I've ever known. And besides, you just had me off my feet, remember? And you will again in a few minutes. At least I hope I'm still getting that foot rub, right?"

She watched his face and saw he was smiling. "Here I thought you didn't like your feet touched."

"Well maybe you changed my mind." She watched him struggle with the cork and then realized that the wine was warm. "Shouldn't we chill this before we drink it?"

"Yeah but I'll fix that, grab us some glasses will ya?"

Alice searched the cabinet for wine glasses but found none. That made sense; if he didn't have wine very often then he wouldn't own wine glasses. She found two regular glasses and set them on the table and Hatter poured them each a glass. He then reached into the box and pulled out one of the smaller bottles. It looked eerily like emotion Tea.

Hatter placed a drop in each glass then handed her one. "Try it."

Alice twirled the liquid around in the glass. She didn't know what he had put in the wine and she had to fight every instinct in her not to demand to know what it was. She wouldn't do that and whatever he had done, it was nothing that would harm her. She did trust him. She took a sip and was shocked to find the wine icy cold. She held the glass out and stared at it before looking up to see the smug expression on Hatter's face.

"How is it cold?" She pressed her hand against the wine bottle and found it warm just like she thought it would be.

Hatter sipped his own drink and smiled. "Guess I did surprise ya, huh?" He motioned towards the small bottle. "It's a drink cooler, something Gryphon invented. It works just as well as ice but won't water down the drink."

Alice smiled and drank a little more. "Gryphon must be a clever guy."

Hatter took his glass and the wine and nodded towards the living room. "You'll meet him next week. Once we get the bar set up, he'll come in and stock the drinks for me."

They sat down, Alice leaning back against the arm of the couch and Hatter on the cushion next to her. He motioned for her to put her feet up and she did so. If he was willing, then she wasn't going to argue. She watched his fingers travel over the skin of her foot. She wanted to ask him more about the White Side and why he left there, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. He didn't seem too fond of where he grew up and probably had good reason for that.

"So tell me," he said, switching from one foot to the other. "What do you do in your world that you have to work barefoot?"

"I'm a Judo instructor." He looked at her questioningly so she explained what she did. "It's the style I fight in. I teach people how to defend themselves."

"That's how you can throw a fat bird like Dodo around like a rag doll?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Judo teaches you how to use an opponent's strength against them. The idea is not to attack but to disable."

Hatter filled their cups again. "Is it common for women in your world to fight? I only ask because the only women I know here that fight are in the Resistance. They're not nearly as graceful as you though, they more or less just scrap. "

"I live in a large city, so it's popular for woman to take defense classes just so they feel safer. Most don't go beyond the basics though, there aren't many female black belts."

"Hmm, and you're a black belt right? Does that have to do with you teaching?" Hatter had stopped messaging her feet and was now lazily ruining his hand over her ankle and every now and then he would move higher up her calf. He was touching her so casually she wasn't sure if he was absentmindedly doing this or purposely trying to drive her crazy.

She tried to concentrate on his words rather then his feather-light caresses of her skin. "The color of your belt represents skill level. To be an instructor where I work you have to be at least a black belt, but you get paid more the higher rank you are. I'm a second degree black belt."

Hatter laughed. "In that case I'll try never to make you too cross with me. I don't fancy ending up unconscious on the floor."

Alice sat up and scooted closer towards him. "Hatter, you don't really think I would do that, do you?"

"Alice, you've got to admit, you're not exactly the type of girl who thinks about her actions when emotions are involved." Hatter reached out and brushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. His hand lingered in her hair, fingers twisting through her dark locks.

She tried her best to look serious. "I'll have you know, I'm very level headed."

"Yeah, level like a sloped hill." He was smiling, his dimple flashing on his cheek. "Never in all my life have I met anyone as impetuous, stubborn, and pig-headed as you."

She reached out and jabbed a finger pointedly at his chest. "Oh, if that's not the pot calling the kettle black."

He reached up and rubbed his chest like her light jab had actually hurt him. "Violent little kettle."

"Sorry, guess I should be more gentle, hmm?" It slipped her mind that she was still holding a half glass of wine and she almost spilled her drink on the couch.

"Careful, I don't want to sleep on a wine stained couch tonight."

She cast her eyes downward and licked her lips. "Doesn't matter, you didn't really want to sleep on the couch anyway did you?"

She reached out and ran her hand along his jawline, his light stubble rough against her fingers. His eyes fell closed at her touch and he leaned his face into her hand.

"Alice." Her name escaped his lips in a whisper. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. He tasted sweet and like wine. The kiss was tender at first before becoming more passionate and needy. He pulled her closer to him, his hand fisted in her hair. He nipped and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. She parted her lips and allowed him to deepen the kiss.

He pushed against her and she leaned back on the couch. He broke away and stared down at her, his breathing short and heavy. She looked up at him and saw his hesitation. She wasn't going to let doubt fall between them. She reached up and pulled him back down into a kiss. Her hands roamed over his arms and shoulders and trailed down his back. Mentally she cursed his choice of clothing, he had on too many layers. She wanted to touch his skin.

His lips moved from hers and kissed a hot trail down her neck, stopping at the junction of her shoulder. He gently bit her before kissing and sucking the pain away. She moaned and her hands fought with his shirt, trying to get to his skin. Finally, she pushed against his chest in frustration. Her hand started working on the buttons of his vest.

"Damn it, why does your clothing have to be so complicated?"

He smirked and down at her. "Impatient little Oyster."

"You're right, I am." She tugged hard at his shirt. "Now help me."

He sat up and she finished undoing the buttons of his vest while he undid the top buttons of his shirt. She tugged the hem of his shirt up and he finished removing it all together. Alice leaned up and kissed around his jawline and under his chin before trailing down his neck. Her hands now had free reign to travel over his skin. She felt the hard muscles of his chest under her fingers and she bent her head down to kiss over his wildly beating heart.

She looked down at the burn and bruise marks along his ribs. Even though they were healing fast they would still scar. They'd be constant reminders of what he had gone through. She brushed her fingers lightly over the marks.

"Hey, don't start thinking about that, not now." He took her hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissed her fingers. He rose off the couch and pulled her up with him. He kissed her again as he walked backwards, leading her towards the bed. While they walked she worked at undoing his belt and then fly of his pants.

He pulled up on the hem of her shirt and she lifted her arms, helping him remove it. His hands roamed over her shoulder and then down her sides. He pulled her skirt off her hips and it fell to the floor in a silent heap.

Alice returned the favor by tugging his trousers off and pushing him back onto the bed. She straddled his hips and pressed her body against his. She felt his hand snake up her back and the clasp of her bra came undone and off in one quick motion.

She planted her hands on his chest and smiled down at him. "Well, you swept me off my feet."

He flipped them so she lay under him and pushed her up further on the bed. He ran his tongue over her earlobe and bit her lightly. He whispered, his words falling hot and raspy against her ear, "Just think, I haven't even started with grand gestures yet."

They lay in bed afterward, both happy and sated. Alice was running her fingers through his hair and he was tracing small circles against her stomach.

He kissed her forehead and rubbed his nose against hers. "You all right, little Kettle?"

"Very." She giggled and snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Is that going to be my new nickname?"

He pulled back so he could look at her. "You don't like it?"

"I think it's sweet," she said pressing her lips to his. She laid her head on his chest, listing to his steady heartbeat. A comfortable silence fell between them. Neither was trying to sleep; both were content simply being near the other.

After a few moments she broke the silence. "Hatter?"

"Hmm?"

"What's your real name?"

He breathed deeply and the hand at her back pulled her closer to him. "David," he whispered, even though they were alone with no chance of anyone but her hearing him. "David Temple."

"David Temple." She repeated, liking the way the words rolled off her tongue. She looked up and met his eyes. "Just between us, right?"

He nodded. "Just between us, Kettle."

a/n

Well, I hope you liked that. Lots of you wanted a kiss and I decided to give a bit more than that.

And yes, the name Temple is a reference to Primeval.

Hope you like it, drop me a review if you did!


	12. Negotiations

Negotiations

Hatter wasn't used to waking up with someone else in bed with him. He hadn't been in a relationship that required overnight stays in years, so he was surprised to wake up with a warm body curled at his side. He looked down and saw Alice's head resting on his chest and her arm wrapped around his waist. From the position they were in he couldn't see her face very well but he could tell by her rhythmic breathing she was still asleep. He ran his hand through her messy, dark hair as memories of the night before filled his mind.

He knew they had to get up soon but he was reluctant to wake her. He didn't know how today was going to go, and honestly he was a bit nervous about something happening to shatter the happiness he had with Alice. He had a feeling this meeting with the resistance members was only going to cause problems for him. Caterpillar had warned that Dodo was against him receiving any recognition for the Queen's fall. He didn't expect Dodo would be too happy to see him at the meeting today.

Alice stirred next to him, stretching slightly as she woke. He cupped her cheek letting her know he was awake. "Morning little Kettle, sleep well?" She hummed in response, he knew from experience that Alice was slow to wake in the morning.

He smiled and pulled the blanket back from her shoulder, hoping the slight chill would help her wake up. She groaned at the loss of heat and yanked the blankets back. She rolled away from him, wrapping herself tighter in the soft folds.

"Come on Alice, we've got to get up now. You can't sleep in today."

"You get ready first and I'll get up when you're done." Her voice was muffled by the pillow and he could tell she was already falling back into sleep.

"Now you listen here," he said, yanking the blanket back. "If you don't get up now, I'll just have to think of other ways to rouse you."

She cracked one eye open and smirked at him. "That a promise, David?"

He couldn't help but smile. No one had used his given name since he left the White Side and he really liked hearing her say it. "I wish we had time for that but we don't. You'll just have to wait until we get home tonight."

She groaned and buried her head back in the pillow. "God, what is it with you people and getting up so early?"

He got out of bed and pulled the blanket completely away from her. "Can't help it if you Oysters are lazy. Up and at 'em, love."

She rolled out of bed, grumbling under her breath as she followed him to the closet. She let him pick out her clothes for the day, still too tired to care, and went to the bathroom to shower and dress. By the time she finished her shower she was fully awake.

She looked in the mirror to find that last night's activities had gained her two hickeys, one on her shoulder and the other above her right breast. The dress Hatter had picked out for her was not going to work. It was off the shoulder and low cut enough that both love bites would show.

She wrapped herself in a towel and went back out to the closet.

Hatter came out of the kitchen. "You all done in there?" He saw her flipping through the closet and raised an eyebrow at her. "What, didn't like what I picked out for you?"

She gestured to the marks on her skin. "That's not it, I don't think it's very mature to show up to a meeting looking like a horny teenager."

He chuckled and gather his clothes from off the bed. "Oh really? I thought Jack might get a laugh out of that." She swatted at him and he quickly disappeared into the safety of the bathroom.

She picked out a dress that would cover her up and paired it with tights just in case she had any interesting bruises on her legs. Hatter had made a pot of tea but hadn't started breakfast yet. She made French toast and scrambled eggs. By the time Hatter was dressed and ready she'd finished cooking. He'd never heard of French toast before but he told her he liked it and thanked her with a kiss.

The Scarab ride was more pleasant then the previous two had been. Alice, finding herself brave in the face of her fear, actual sat by the window so she and Hatter could watch the sun rise over the city.

"Ya know," she said, "now that we're not being hunted down by Suits or chased by a Jabberwock, Wonderland's actually very beautiful."

"Yeah, I can see where that would make a difference in opinion." He kissed her temple and rested his forehead against her. "I imagine your world is just as beautiful."

She leaned into him. "I guess, it just seems like everything in Wonderland is more vibrant than my world."

"I'll just have to see for myself won't I?"

She nodded and looked back out the window. She wanted to ask him what they were going to do about the whole living in separate worlds thing. If the mirror did start working again there was really no way they could keep jumping back and forth to see each other, at least not long term. Hatter was starting to rebuild his business here so he obviously wasn't planing on leaving. Staying in Wonderland wasn't really an option for her, she couldn't leave her mother or her family and friends. She had a life in her world and he had a life here.

She supposed it was like the elephant in the room. They both knew it would be a problem but neither wanted to acknowledge it. Once she knew if the mirror would work or not, she would ask him. Until then she was just going to enjoy their time together and not worry about the future.

They entered the palace and the Suits escorted them to a room where the others were already gathered. Moth was standing near the door and nodded in acknowledgement as they entered. Jack stood speaking with Caterpillar, the Duchess by his side, her arm laced through his. The Ten of Clubs stood slightly behind Jack, looking bored.

In the corner was a auburn-haired man she had never seen before. He was tall and lanky and dressed in a dark green suit paired with a white turtle neck. He caught sight of them and studied them as they entered.

"Alice," Jack greeted her warmly. "We've been waiting for you."

"I'm sorry, are we late?"

"Only slightly." Said Duchess, smiling sweetly. "Think nothing of it, Dodo and Magpie have not shown up yet."

Jack took Duchess's hand, pulling her forward to stand next to him. She was dressed in a outfit similar to the gold one Alice had seen her wear before, only this one was red. "I don't believe proper introductions have been made. Alice, Hatter, this is Diane of Diamonds."

The Duchess curtsied. "It's lovely to meet you Hatter, and to see you again Alice."

The last time the two had spoken, the Duchess had been berating and angry. Not that Alice didn't understand why; she had been the other woman, after all. Had the situation been reversed she didn't think she would have been any kinder. She really didn't know how to respond to the Duchess now, this whole thing was uncomfortable.

As always Hatter was there to save her. "Nice to meet you, Duchess."

"Please, call me Diane."

"I believe you both know everyone here." Jack said looking around at the others in the room. "Alice, you haven't met Turtle have you?" Jack motioned towards the man in the corner.

"No, not yet."

Jack waved his hand at the man, calling him over. Turtle walked towards them slowly, his shoulders hunched, his eyes nervously glancing around. Between the sweater he was wearing and the way he seemed to sink into himself, he really did look like a turtle.

"Your Majesty." He said warily.

"Turtle, I'd like you to meet Alice and Hatter. You've heard about them both I'm sure."

Turtle seemed to relax a bit and actually smiled slightly. "Yes, I've heard about you two. Breaking into the Casino, stealing flamingos, threatening the Queen, all very dangerous. You must both be mad, or at the least, suicidal."

Alice looked at him confused. "Excuse me?"

Hatter stepped towards Turtle and extended his hand to the man. "You lead the defense wing of the Resistance, right?"

Turtle cautiously shook Hatters hand. "Yes, that's what I do. You know, hiding and protection." He patted his chest and it sounded like he was hitting metal. Which was odd because he looked to be wearing normal clothing, not armor.

"Caterpillar told me you're backing Jack's clam to the throne." Hatter said.

Turtle pointed to Caterpillar. "I hide behind Caterpillar. If he trusts the Prince, then I will trust him also and hide behind him too." He leaned in close to Alice and looked her straight in the eyes. "I hear you are a very capable fighter, correct?"

She stepped back, uncomfortable with how close he was. "I suppose so."

"Splendid!" He smiled and clapped his hands. "Should all this come to blows I'll hide behind you too."

Hatter grabbed her elbow and pulled her away from Turtle. "Don't mind him love, he may be off his rocker but he knows how to stay safe. His caution has kept many a Resistance member from loosing life and limb."

"Everyone, may I have your attention please!"

Caterpillar was standing at the head of the room. He motioned towards Moth and the old man left the room and closed the door behind him. "Now that we're all here, I'd like to go over a few things. First, we must remember this is not a simple negotiation. This is a war with words. Dodo controls all the information in Wonderland. He knows more about us then we know about him and he will use this against us. Should he feel things are not going his way he will attack where we are most vulnerable."

"He will not openly attack you, your Majesty, nor myself. But you Duchess, Hatter, having worked for the Queen I imagine he will go after you first. Alice, Dodo will attack you also, having both ties to Jack and Hatter he will go after you to get at them."

Diane straighten her shoulders. "I do not fear Dodo. I lived under the Queen my whole life and I know well enough how to block out insults."

Alice nodded agreeing with that statement. "I'll do my best not to let him get to me either."

Ten joined Caterpillar at the head of the room. "Dodo and Magpie control two things we need. First we need the Great Library. If we are to begin re-education of the population, we need the knowledge held in the Library. Secondly, we need Magpie to turn over her weapons and dismiss her army. She and her men pose a great threat to the kingdom which we must disarm."

Caterpillar nodded. "The currant situation is this: Dodo has denied Jacks request to bring the Library back to the surface. He does not support Jack as King and has convinced Magpie to move her army to surround and protect the Great Library and the refuges still hiding out there. Essentially, he's holding the knowledge hostage"

Turtle spoke up from the back of the room. "I'd like to point out what a horrible idea it is to threaten Magpie. Asking her to stand down and give up her weapons is like asking a snake to give up its fangs. We're only going to get bitten dealing with her."

Jack cleared his throat. "The whole point of this meeting is to sway Magpie and Dodo to support my stand as King. I will offer Magpie the position of Trump and her men a chance to join the Suits."

"What's a Trump?" Alice whispered to Hatter.

"A member of the Suits higher than an Ace, like a commander."

Moth entered the room. "My lord, the others are here. I've showed them to the conference room."

Jack reached up and straighten his lapels. "Alright, let's be ready for anything."

Everyone filed out of the room. Alice went to follow but Hatter held her behind until the others were out of earshot. "Alice, Dodo might say some nasty things about me. Some of them might be true but most wont be. If that happens, just promise me you'll give me a chance to defend myself before you get angry."

She leaned up and kissed him quickly. "Don't worry about that, I would never believe Dodo over you."

That seemed to reassure him a bit. He took her hand and then followed the others.

The meeting began well enough. Caterpillar introduced everyone and stated their title or position. Aside from Dodo there were three other Resistance members in attendance.

Magpie, the military leader of the Resistance, was a very intimidating woman. She looked to be in her thirties, tall and blond, her face full of sharp features. Kiwi was Magpie's second in command. She was a small redhead woman, fair-skinned and freckled. She looked more like a school girl than the weapons expert Caterpillar had introduced her as. Finally there was Crow, Curator of the Great Library. He had black hair and deep set black eyes.

Caterpillar and Jack did most of the talking to start. Jack offered Magpie and her men the option of joining the Suits, to which she scoffed and replied she would rather work with pigs then the Queen's army.

Dodo also refused the offer to be allowed to continue keeping watch over the Great Library. It seemed like neither of them would go along with any of Jack's offers or ideas.

When asked what their demands were Dodo answered, "It's simply that we don't want another Heart on the throne. Really, do we need the offspring of the worst ruler in Wonderland history making decisions for us?"

Jack raised his chin. "If not me, then who do you suggest for King?"

Dodo glared at Caterpillar. "A few days ago I would have backed Caterpillar, as he is a member of the Spade family. However, with his support of you your Majesty, I'm beginning to believe the rumors of his insanity."

Caterpillar ignored the question of his sanity. "You have been loyal to me for years, Dodo. Why would you question my judgment now?"

Dodo waved his hand at the other side of the table. "Look who you are associating with! The son of the Queen, his little pet," he said pointing at Duchess. "And his Oyster whore."

"Oi!" Hatter slammed his hand against the table. Fortunately it was his left, because if it had been his right Alice was sure he would have cracked the table.

Dodo smiled at Hatter's outburst. "Of course I'm not surprised to see you here, Hatter. It's just further proof you were always loyal to the Crown."

"I'm loyal to whoever wants what's best for the people of Wonderland. Right now it's your childish behavior that's stalling the Prince from taking the throne and making changes. We fought to bring knowledge to the people and now you're the one stopping that from happening. "

It made sense to Alice now why Caterpillar had asked Hatter to join the meeting. No one could get under Dodo's skin like Hatter. Caterpillar, being a leader, couldn't verbally attack Dodo the way Hatter could. That was obviously Hatter's job in this, to speak up when Jack or Caterpillar could not.

Dodo glared at Hatter. "The Resistance worked for years to dethrone the Queen. Countless men and woman lost their lives fighting for the cause. Now, because of the Prince and his control of the newspapers, we are being portrayed as enemies of the people, accused of withholding knowledge from the new King."

Ten interrupt Dodo. "The press are reporting what they see fit, we're not feeding them any information and are certainly not trying to sway them."

"Lies!" Dodo pointed a finger at Hatter. "He spent the last four years selling the Queen's Tea, turning her subjects into mindless addicts. Yet somehow he end up in the right place at the right time and the press is calling him a hero. It makes me sick."

Magpie tapped her long nails against the hard marble table as she waited for Dodo to finish his rant. "Look, don't get all bothered over opinions. Who cares who knocked the Queen off her throne? If the people want to hail a Tea seller and an Oyster as heroes let them. We don't need that kind of attention anyways."

"What matters now is that this situation never happens again. We could spend hours arguing over this but I'd rather just get right to the point and come up with terms we can both agree with."

Jack sighed. "What would that be, Magpie? What is it that you want?"

"We want to ensure power is divided. Take your crown for all we care. You can even put this puppet next to you if you like." She gestured at Duchess. "Not because we want you as King, mind you. I hate to admit it, but giving our other options, I'd rather see you on the throne. Better to have a former Resistance insider as King then some other royal who did nothing to stop the Queen."

Dodo grunted. "That is a point you and I disagree on my dear."

Magpie shrugged her shoulders. "Our demands are simple. We want The Resistance to remain a power in Wonderland and make it our business to keep you in check. We will not become pawns to you Hearts. If you are willing to agree to that, then we are willing to give you _access_ to the library, not control of it."

Ten questioned the blond. "You honestly expect his Majesty to live under constant threat of your violence? Your army is too dangerous to be allowed to move freely. There need only be one army in Wonderland and that should be the one that serves the king."

Magpie rolled her eyes. "Oh please, if I was going to attack I would have done so already. I'm sure a pampered palace rat like yourself has no idea but the Suits aren't exactly at their strongest now."

Kiwi pointed accusingly at Ten. "Besides, that's what got us in this mess in the first place. Having a ruler without the fear of consequence or retaliation for actions that would harm the people. The Resistance will protect the people, not the King."

Duchess spoke up defending Jack. "It is a King's job to protect the people. That is what we want to do, restore Wonderland not control it. We want to fix all the wrongs done by the Queen."

Jack agreed. "That's exactly right. Besides, I have already set in motion plans to reinstate the Knights. It will be their job to keep the people safe."

Turtle sat on the edge of his seat, nervously toying with the paper in his hands. "My men have already agreed to join the Knights. As of this morning there is no longer a defenses wing of the Resistance." He looked up from his papers clearly watching for Magpie's reaction.

Magpie's features softened as she spoke to Turtle. "Don't worry Turtle, I don't blame you for siding with Caterpillar. It's probably the safest place for you at the moment."

Dodo spoke up. "I still don't see how we should trust the word of a liar. You're already lying about the Oysters being kept in Wonderland. We know they're still here. Whats the plan Majesty? Hold them here until you can rebuild the Casino?"

If Jack was surprised to hear Dodo knew about the Oysters he didn't show it. "There are circumstances beyond my control preventing the Oysters from going home."

Alice figured if talk was going to turn to the Oysters then it was her turn to speak up. "That's right, its not Jacks choice that we're all still here. As soon as the Looking Glass is working again, myself and all the Oysters will go back to our world."

Dodo glared at her. "You naive little moppet, don't you find this all a bit too convenient? He's holding you prisoner here and you're defending him."

Hatter looked angrily at Dodo but his voice didn't reflect that anger. "It's more inconvenient than anything keeping the Oysters here. Even if Jack intended to re-open the Casino, why hold the Oysters until then? The Oysters are going home soon as the mirror is working again and that's that."

Kiwi nodded at Hatter. "You're damn right they are, and afterwards the ring and the mirror need to be destroyed."

Jack shook his head. "We want to control the opening and closing of the Looking Glass but not permanently shut it down."

"Oh really." Dodo mocked. "Why exactly would you need to keep the mirror open?"

Caterpillar Defended Jack. "Our agents have been living in the Oyster world for many years now. They have families there, we want to allow them options for returning to Wonderland. It would be unfair to put them in such a position as to choose one world or the other."

Dodo throw up his hands. "Do you really want them back? They'll want to bring their families here, their _Oyster_ families. We don't need more Oysters or half breeds running about." He pointed at Alice. "Bad enough we already have one."

Alice didn't understand what he was getting at. "Halfbreed?"

Dodo tilted his head and focused on Alice. "Yes, your father was Carpenter right? Don't you know who he is? Or maybe his Majesty is lying to you about this as well."

Alice looked at the Prince. "Jack?"

Jack looked like he was struggling with what to say to her.

Instead Caterpillar answered. "Alice, your father worked for the Queen to develop the technology to drain Oysters. He was sent to your world to do research."

No, that couldn't be right. Her father was born in Wisconsin and moved to New York to work as an engineer. "Are you saying my father was from Wonderland?"

Jack spoke to her in hushed words. "Alice, this is better discussed in private."

Magpie folded her hands at the back of her head. "Why not get it out in the open now? Isn't that what these talks are all about, trust and honesty and all that?These two haven't been honest with you so far Alice, why trust them to tell you the truth?"

Hatter took her hand under the table and squeezed it. "Because she has no reason to believe you."

Alice squeezed back. Whatever Dodo had to say, she wanted to hear it. "What do you know about my father?"

Dodo leaned forward, his eyes set on hers. "Carpenter and his men were sent to your world to research ways to drain emotions out of Oysters. He was there quite a long time."

Magpie nodded. "Eleven years I believe."

Dodo continued. "When his research was complete, he and his men returned to Wonderland and created the Hearts Casino."

Alice looked over at Caterpillar. "You said the White Rabbit kidnapped my father. That they adjusted him to work in the lab."

Caterpillar nodded. "That is correct but Carpenter and his men were taken from the White Side. The Queen was interested in the research they were doing on emotions. She erased their memories and planted new ones of her choosing. Memories that made them loyal to her."

She really didn't like where all this was going. "So she erased his memories again when he returned from my world?"

Jack shook his head. "No Alice, she had no reason to. Carpenter returned to Wonderland willingly and with out any complications. My mother never knew Carpenter had a wife or a daughter. If she had she would have kidnapped you both and hid you away to cement her hold over Carpenter. She never would have allowed you to become a threat the way you did."

That didn't make any sense. Why would her dad just leave them? "How did you know about me then?"

"One of the men who worked for your father became a Resistance insider." Said Caterpillar. "When he joined, he told us that Carpenter had married while in the Oyster world. That was how we found out about you."

Her stomach began twisting into knots as she asked a question she really didn't want to know the answer to. "Then why didn't he remember me?"

"Because he obviously forgot you." Said Dodo coldly before smiling at her.

Hatter stood up. "This is pointless. Carpenter has nothing to do with Jack becoming King. All you're doing is upsetting Alice."

For the first time since the meeting started Crow spoke up. "Whats the matter Hatter? Don't think your Oyster can handle the truth?"

Dodo held up his hands in surrender. "I was just giving the girl a history lesson, that's my job after all. She has a right to know that she's a disgusting halfbreed."

"We're done." He said, pulling on her hand trying to raise her from her seat. "I'm not going to sit here while you drag her through the mud."

"I'm sure you don't want to." Dodo sneered. "People are much more easily controlled when they're ignorant of they're own history. Isn't that right, your Majesty?"

Jack ignored Dodo's remark and turned to Alice. "Alice, whatever reason your father had for forgetting you I'm sure was for your own benefit."

Magpie leaned in towards Alice. "You don't know the difference, but White Siders are not like us normal people. They're crazy and filled with emotion. Your father, being one of them, probably couldn't control the hurt he felt at losing you. Its' simply easier to forget then to live with the pain of separation."

She thought back to the words her father spoke to her before he was shot. _'I should have known you the moment I saw you. I've been a fool Alice. I've missed so much; I've wasted so much time.' _Dodo was right, he did just forget about her.

Alice took a deep, breath trying to regain her composure. Nausea had gripped her and she had to fight the urge to get up and run from the room. This was all too much and she didn't know who was telling the truth and who was lying. She just wanted to finish this and leave. Hatter was still trying to get her to stand but she wasn't going to give Dodo the satisfaction of chasing her away. She tugged him down and back into his seat.

"Hatter's right, my father has nothing to do with this. We're here to discuss Jack becoming King, not my heritage." Alice looked over at the Prince. "Jack, please continue."

The others continued to talk around her and she tried to keep up with the conversation. The meeting lasted for three more long hours before it was finally called to an end. The whole time, Hatter kept his grip on her hand and she was grateful for his support.

Jack agreed to allow Magpie and Dodo to keep power as members of his counsel along with Caterpillar and Turtle. Magpie would be allowed to keep half her army while the other half entered into service with the Knights. The only matter left unresolved was the issue of the Looking Glass and whether or not it would remain open or be destroyed.

When the others left, both Jack and Caterpillar tried to talk to her about her father but she brushed them off. She was emotionally exhausted and needed time to herself to think. Hatter was at her back telling her they could just leave, that she didn't need to stay any longer than she wanted to.

She allowed him to lead her from the palace onto the Scarab, and they headed home. Her whole world had just been turned upside down. She should be feeling anger or sadness or pain, but instead she didn't feel anything. She was numb.

Her father's words played over and over again in her head. _ 'I should have known you the moment I saw you. I've been a fool Alice.' _

He left willingly. He didn't even fight to stay with them. All these years she had looked for him, believing he needed to be found. She had been just a big a fool as he was. Her father had left because he wanted to. Now he was gone and she'd never know why.

A/n

This was a bit of a headache to wright but I think it turned out ok.

Thanks again for the reviews, they really make me happy! I love hearing your thoughts on my story!


	13. Comfort

_A/n_

_Thanks for all the reviews last chapter. I hope this chapter does a good job giving Alice a little bit of closure dealing with her father. I was thinking of doing a one-shot to show exactly why Carpenter left Alice and her mom. If I do write that, it wont be for a few weeks but I'll try to work on that. _

Comfort

Hatter milled around in the kitchen, waiting for the tea to finish. He was at a complete loss for how to handle Alice. He wasn't used to feeling this helpless and he truly hated it.

When the meeting finished she had been quiet. She ignored Jack's attempts to talk to her, not that Hatter had wanted them to talk anyways. Caterpillar had also tried to speak to her. She had been a bit more polite with him, but still refused to talk about her father or anything else Dodo had brought up.

During the Scarab ride back she'd been eerily quiet. She wasn't crying or showing any outward signs of distress. She was just silent and very still. She wasn't fidgeting or looking out the window or, well, anything. It was like she was frozen, completely wrapped up in her own thoughts.

He asked her if she was alright and she just nodded. It was a stupid question, of course she would say she was ok, but he knew she wasn't. The revelation about her father was a shock to him and he couldn't even begin to imagine how she felt about it.

He rested his elbows on the counter and pushed his hands into his hair. Damn Dodo and his big mouth. There was no good reason why he had to bring Carpenter up. No, Dodo had done that out of malice. It wasn't to hurt Alice either, it was to spite him and undermine Jack.

As much as he had wanted to get her out of there, he was grateful Alice had refused his suggestion that they leave. If she hadn't been so strong, then Dodo would have caused her to have an emotional breakdown. It would have just opened the argument that Oysters, half Wonderland or not, were too emotional to be allowed on this side of the mirror.

He may not have known Alice long, but he knew her well enough to know what her triggers were. This little revelation was only going to deepen her fear of abandonment. Alice had enough issues all on her own without Dodo giving her cause to doubt her father's love. This was just going to cause her more heartache and bring up questions there would never be an answer to.

The whistle of the kettle shook him from his thoughts. Happy to finally have something to do, he fixed them both a cup.

She wasn't sitting on the couch where he left her. She now sat at the foot of the bed, her coat cast to the side, her shoes kicked off, she looked like she had been changing but gave up half way. He set the cups down and sat next to her.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

She shook her head and just stared down at her hands.

"Alice." he said firmly, trying to shake her from her thoughts. "You can't hold this in."

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, she looked at him. Her eyes held deep sorrow and he could clearly see how this was hurting her.

"When my dad left, I was young, I imagined all kinds of things that might have happened to him. I thought someone had kidnapped him or that he lost his memory, like the people on Mom's soap operas. I never even considered that he could have left us. When I got older, some of my mom's family said he was just a deadbeat husband, that he probably left my mom for another woman. I always got upset and defended him. I said dad would never leave us."

Her voice hitched in her throat and she closed her eyes, clearly trying to hold her emotion back.

"When he didn't know who I was, it hurt, but part of me was relieved too. He didn't know who he was either and I thought the Queen had kidnapped him and done something to erase his memories. But now..." she sighed, "now, I know he chose to leave."

Anger quickly flashed across her face.

"What the hell did he do? Did he just wake up one morning and think 'Well it's been fun, time to go back to Wonderland'."

This, he had no idea how to deal with. Alice was fighting memories and ghosts that no longer existed. There was no way he could protect her from things like this. She was being torn apart by her past and there was nothing he could do to change that.

She continued venting and he didn't dare interrupt her. "Ten years, I looked for him for ten years, and he couldn't even spare me a thought."As quickly as her anger came it was gone again in a heartbeat, replaced with sadness. "He chose to forget us. He's gone now, I'll never know why."

The dam burst and tears flowed down her cheeks. He pulled her close and held her tight while she cried. He wracked his brain for anything he could say that would calm her or make her feel better.

Her hands fisted in his shirt and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't understand why? If he did leave and come back to Wonderland that's one thing but... why would he choose to forget us? Didn't we matter?"

He stroked her hair and rested his cheek against her head. "You really want to know what I think?"

He felt her nod her head and he continued.

"I think, he had no choice about leaving you. I saw how he looked at you in the Casino. He loved you, Alice, he gave his life for you. Leaving you and your mom couldn't have been an easy choice for him. Jack was right: if the Queen knew about you, there's no way she would have left you alone. She would have taken both you and your mother and held your safety over Carpenter's head. I'm sure he only left you to keep you safe. He protected you the only way he knew how. Even if it hurt you, it was better to have you hurt than under the control of the Queen."

She sobbed heavily in his arms and he held her tighter. He ran his hand through her hair and began rocking her slowly.

"And as far as him forgetting you, I don't have any answers. Maybe Magpie was right, maybe his heart just couldn't take the separation."

Her melancholy seemed to be contagious and he felt sadness creeping over him. He really had no idea how her father could ever forget her. Maybe he was biased by his own feelings for her. He knew he would rather live with the pain of missing her and at least have her memory, than have to live without her completely.

"Maybe, but..."

He grabbed her chin and gently forced her to look up at him, her blue eyes filled with tears. "No, no buts. If you love him, then you have to trust that he did what he thought was best. If you don't, it will just tear you up inside. All you have left is his memory and you can't let that be tainted with doubt; you have to have faith."

He watched as his words sank in and she seemed to calm a bit. He stood up and helped her to her feet. Silently he lead her to the couch. He pulled her into his lap and she leaned against him, resting her head on his chest.

They stayed silent for a long time. He felt her slowly relax as he rubbed her back and arm. He didn't try to talk to her more about it or drag her from her own thoughts. He knew she had to work through her feelings about her father's betrayal and come to terms with this new truth.

"Hatter?"

"Yeah?"

Her hand played idly with buttons on his shirt. "What Dodo said, about me being a disgusting halfbreed, was that more about my mom being an Oyster or my dad being from the White Side?"

When Dodo had told her about Carpenter being from White Side, he'd actually been grateful he gave her the knowledge of the Sides in Wonderland. That way, she hadn't been completely unarmed. He didn't like talking about the White Side, but he would answer any of her questions.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand." She said, mistaking his silence for hesitation.

He was quick to reassure her. "No, I'm just trying to think of the best way to put it."

"It's both really, Dodo hates Oysters. The only reason he joined the Resistance was to get them out of Wonderland. Not everyone dislikes Oysters. If the Resistance members in your world decide to come home and bring their children with them, they won't have too hard a time being accepted. They're still half Red Side and that's what people will focus on."

She nodded in understanding. "It's the White Side thing people have a problem with."

"People here, hate the White Side. Most won't even acknowledge its' existence. Your dad must have been doing something spectacular to catch the Queen's attention and cause her to bring him here."

She looked up at him. "You don't know what that was, do you?"

He quickly did the math in his head. He was eight years older than Alice and her dad had been in her world for eleven years. "No, at the most I was only seven before she took him. My parents weren't really the scientific type, I doubt they would have cared about a missing scholar."

Again they fell into silence. He really hated thinking about his family. He still missed his mom, and didn't really know how she had faired in his absence. Thoughts of his dad brought back nothing but pain and hate and a feeling of unworthiness he'd never quite been able to shake.

She knew he didn't like talking about the White Side, but she needed to understand the differences. Besides what Magpie said about White Siders, she didn't know how things differed from one side to the other. Her father came from the White Side just like Hatter and if it made a difference in him she wanted to know.

"What's the difference?" She asked. "Between the Red and White Side?"

"Well," he said. "My mom once told me that Red Siders had broken hearts. That it was the curse of being born under the Red Queen. But, what Magpie said is true, White Siders tend to be overemotional. Sometimes, but not always, becoming a bit mad with emotion."

She smiled for the first time since all this started. "I knew there was something different about you."

"What? You mean other than my natural good looks and charming wit?"

She laughed and he swore it was the best sound he ever heard.

"Yeah, besides that. Most of the people here are just so cold. Hell, the first day I came here, Dormie was selling Clear Conscience in case you felt guilty about killing someone. Even Jack seemed to change when he came back to Wonderland. The person he is now is definitely not the person I dated."

He grunted at the mention of Jack and she reached up and cupped his face.

"You always acted so vibrant and alive. You were definitely different."

"Really?" He said, looking confused at her. "Because I try to hide it, you know. Not exactly a good idea to seem overly emotional."

She thought back to their first meeting. When he talked to her, he had been very matter-of-fact, even smiling when she panicked over her Oyster mark. That smile wasn't anything like his real smile, even his voice had sounded different. She'd noticed that when he spoke to other people or when they were around others, his voice was a bit more nasal and his accent not as thick. Comparatively, his normal voice is a bit deeper and his accent stronger when he was sincere or they were alone.

She could see now, what an act that first meeting had been. He'd fed her just enough truth to make her follow him, but enough lies and half-truths to keep her from panicking. He'd put on his best salesman's act to fool her and try to gain her trust. He probably had to do that with everyone he met.

She remembered, the first time she touched him, that he had shrugged her off. It was when he had impatiently lifted her off the ladder and she had rested her hand on his shoulder to steady herself. She had thought it was a matter of personal space at the time. Now she wondered if it wasn't a defense mechanism.

The idea of Hatter having to hide himself from everyone around him made her sick. Hatter, the real Hatter, was amazing. She'd never met anyone like him before. She adored his sense of humor and admired his courage and strength.

"You had to hide yourself from everyone didn't you?"

"Well," he said, "I just had to try and keep myself shallow. Things got easier once Tea came out. If anyone thought I was acting strange I could always say I just had a hit of one emotion or another."

"Did you ever use Tea?"

"Yeah, but I stopped once I started selling it."

"Why? Why did you need to use Tea?" She looked up at him and could see how uncomfortable he was. Clearly this was not something he wanted to talk about.

She wasn't surprised when he brushed her off. "Oh, you know, just because."

She didn't believe that, but she wasn't going to push him. Instead she shifted and rolled so she was laying on top of him.

She folded her hands at the back of his neck. "Well at least you don't have to pretend with me, right?"

He wrapped his arms around her back and pressed closer to her. "Course I don't. You have no idea how important that is to me."

She believed him, there was simply too much need in his voice for it not to be true. If they did make this work and there was a way for them to stay together, she wanted him to know he never had to be something he wasn't. Not for her, not for anyone. She'd accept him for who he was, both good and bad.

He leaned forward and kissed her, his hands roaming over her body. She wound her fingers in his hair and kissed him back eagerly. After a few heated moments he pulled away from her.

"We don't have to do this. If you're not up for it, we don't have too."

His concern for her warmed her heart, but honestly, she needed this. She pulled herself up to straddle his lap and lean over him.

"I'm tired of thinking, I just want you."

_A/n_

_Ok, the next three chapters after this will be fluff. I want to get in a few lighthearted chapters before we have to deal with more heavy plot. _

_I've been thinking, I know a few times I brought up questions and never worked the answers into chapters. So, if you have a question and want an answer, just leave it in a review and I'll be sure to get back with you. _

_I'm hopping to continue normal updates in June but I may have to skip a week. I'm getting Married June 23 and I'm sure that week and the week before will be busy for me. But I'm working hard to get a few chapters backed up so I can keep the updates coming. _


	14. Frog's Fabulous Footwear

Frog's Fabulous Footwear

Alice woke to the sun shining through the windows and into her eyes. Hatter was pressed against her back, an arm curled lightly around her waist. She wondered what time it was. Hatter never slept in. Well, not as far as she knew.

His hold on her tightened and he buried his face further into her hair, grunting softly. She turned in his arms and pushed his hair away from his face.

"Isn't it past time for you to get up?"

He blinked a few times, clearing the sleep from his eyes. "Why? You trying to get rid of me?"

She snuggled closer to him. "No, you're just normally up and dressed by now. I'm the one who likes to sleep in, remember?"

He smiled and ran his hands down her naked body. "Well, you are a bad influence."

"Bad Influence?" She said, doing her best to mock hurt. "I'd like to remind you that before you met me, you were a Tea dealer and a con-man."

"I suppose you did fix one of those. Though I'm not as straight and narrow as you'd like to think. Ya got to be a little crooked to deal with people here."

"Um-hm, I bet." She lazily ran her hand up and down his chest. "So are we going to lie in bed all day or are we actually going to go out and do something?"

"Well," he said, shivering slightly as her nails dragged across his skin. "Before you started doing _that_, I was going to suggest we go shopping. I did promise you new shoes after all. Then I thought we could go see how old Charlie's doing."

She nibbled at the base of his neck and trailed her fingers lower over his stomach. "Before? That mean you changed your mind?"

In one quick motion he flipped her onto her back and pinned her hands above her head with his left hand, leaving his right free to roam her curves. "Nope, just means we'll be leave later then I thought."

When they finally left the Tea House, Hatter explained that there were no good shoe shops in the Lower City, at least none he thought she would like. Most leaned toward what he called 'Wonderland traditional' and simply put, not her style.

He lead her to one of the staircase buildings. She looked up and saw that it was at least another ten stories tall. Just the thought of how high they already were brought about vertigo.

Her mouth had gone dry and she struggled to speak. "Hatter... how high are we going?"

He paused in the middle of the doorway and turned to look at her. "About eight stories. The shops are all higher up."

She looked back up at where they were going. Once again, the spinning sensation overwhelmed her and she quickly looked back down at the ground.

He reached out and took hold of her hand. "Ya know what, we can just go to the Lower city. I'm sure we'll find something you like."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "What are the streets like?"

"Same as this level. Some buildings don't reach that high so the bridges tend to be longer."

She held his hand tightly and looked up once more. She tried to convince herself that it would be ok. Plenty of people lived in the city and she hadn't once heard of anyone falling since she had been here. Besides, Hatter would be right next to her and he wasn't going to let her fall.

"I'm fine, we can go up."

"You sure?" He asked.

She nodded and pulled him towards the stairs. "Yeah, I'm fine. I can't get over my fear if I avoid it all the time."

He nodded and they started climbing upward.

The upper level was a stark contrast to the Lower City. The buildings here were all new construction. Most of the building fronts were white brick and framed in steel. Windows on this level were large, clearly placed to allow as much sunlight in as possible. The sidewalks were slightly wider then the Levels below, still not much of a comfort considering how high they were. As always, Hatter walked with his arm around her shoulder and her on the inside of the street.

There were less people up here than down below, and the few she did see were dressed very businesslike. The shops here were different too. They all seemed to be selling luxury items. Most of them displayed their goods in the large front windows. It reminded her of the high end shops in New York, the ones she never even set foot in because she knew she couldn't afford even the simplest items they offered.

They passed the first few blocks of shops and Alice felt dread settle slowly in her stomach. They had to cross a long narrow bridge that connected this block and the next. The bridge did have rails but they looked to be made of extremely thin metal. The wind picked up as they moved closer and she swore she saw the bridge shift slightly in the wind.

Hatter's grip tightened on her shoulder but he didn't slow their pace.

"Shopping up here is different from the Lower City. Things here are expensive and way overpriced. Shoe shops are definitely the worst, and the blokes that sell them will do anything to make a sale. They only put the price so high because rich people think that the more they spend, the better status symbol it becomes."

As they stepped onto the bridge, Hatter quickened their pace. Her heart was beating like a sledgehammer against her ribs. She tried hard to keep her focus on the other end of the bridge, because looking anywhere else only sent her head spinning. She wanted to close her eyes, but the thought of not seeing were she was going only frightened her more.

"Honestly, how can they expect so much money for something ya wear on your feet and people don't even look at? I can normally talk them down in price. You just have to remember not to seem too enthused, the more casual we are the better deal we'll get. Just go in there, pick out a few pairs, and let me talk down the price."

They reached the other side of the bridge and she breathed a sigh of relief. She broke away from him and pressed her back against the nearest building.

"I don't think you understand."

He looked at her, brows furrowed in question. "Understand what?"

She was still breathing deep trying to steady herself. "I like shoes."

"Ok...so what?"

"No." She corrected. "I really, really like shoes. Like, you know how you have all those hats in your closet?" He nodded. "That's how many shoes I have."

She started walking, her hands following the building as she went. "I even have a savings account just so I can put money away for when Plush Pumps has their annual sale."

He followed a few steeps behind her. "Alice, that's insane. Why in the world would you spend money like that on shoes?"

"Why do you buy hats?"

He quickly strode past her and stood in front of her, blocking her path. "That's different. My hat's on my head, you can't help but look at it. No one looks at shoes. Well, ya know, unless you're talking to someone who stares at the ground, and then you don't really want to be talking to someone like that anyway."

She held up her hand, cutting him off from whatever ridiculous rant he was about to get into. "Look, it's no big deal. You just go in there and pick out what you think I'd like."

"Ok, what size are you?"

"Seven and a half."

His expression went blank and he stared at her for a moment. "I don't know what that means."

"How could you..." she waved her hand in front of her face, as if batting away whatever ridiculous statement she was about to make. "What size are you?"

"H."

"Oh, of course." She rolled her eyes and pushed past him. "I should have know it would be something stupid like that when I found out bra size went by number."

He quickly followed behind her. "What else would you use?"

"The alphabet is used for bra size and numbers are used for shoe size."

Behind her she heard him give a snorting laugh. "Well that's stupid."

"No," she argued. "That's normal. I feel better saying I'm a B cup than saying I'm a two."

"Really? Because I thought your breasts were bigger than that."

"We are not talking about my breast size!"

Two women in very sharp-looking dress suits had just rounded the corner and were now staring at the arguing couple. Alice felt the heat rise to her face and she quickly looked away from the disapproving glares.

Hatter for his part, just smiled and nodded as the women hurried past. "Ladies."

"Oh my god, let's just get this over with so I can quit embarrassing myself."

They stopped in front of a shop called Frog's Fabulous Footwear. Despite the weird name, she was floored by the selection of shoes displayed in the front window. The familiar thrill of excitement she always got when she shopped washed over her. She had never quite been able to pin down when her love of footwear began. She suspected, like most things, it had to do with her father.

The first pair of shoes she had ever sought out had been ruby slipper look-a-likes from the Wizard of OZ. Her father surprised her with them early on her seventh birthday. She remembered wearing those shoes well after they stopped fitting comfortably. In fact, they probably were still hidden somewhere in the back of her closet.

"You look like a kid in a candy store."

She caught his reflection in the window and saw him smirking at her. Taking in her current stance she realized he was right. She had both hands pressed at the window and had raised up on her toes to see the shoes further back. Embarrassed, she quickly stepped back and turned away from the display.

"Oh please, I'd like to see you in a hat shop," she said, reaching up and flicking his hat.

He huffed and righted his hat. "_I'd_ like to see me in a hat shop."

She glanced back at the window, seeing a very nice pair of open toed white sandals that she really wanted to try on. "I doesn't help that you _still_ haven't explained to me how money works here."

"We've been busy, I haven't had the time." He grabbed her arm and pulled her back from the window. "All you need to know is that that scrawny little man behind the counter has been watching you drool for the past few minutes. He's probably adding extra zeros onto tags right now. "

She peeked back into the shop and saw the salesman standing in front of a mirror, adjusting his tie and running a hand through his slicked-back, blond hair. The man was tall, thin, and very light of frame. He wore a pink button-up shirt under a gray vest paired with gray slacks.

Behind her Hatter sighed. "Well, let's get in there before he preens himself anymore."

They entered the shop and the man turned to greet them. His smile was wide and he greeted them excitedly. "Welcome! I knew a woman of such beauty," his eyes traveled downward, taking in her plum boots, "and such exquisite taste, couldn't stand to pass up such a buy."

He quickly strode past them and plucked the white sandals out of the display window. He held them out for her inspection. "The White Sorrel sandals are our latest in summer fashion, an excellent choice for any occasion."

"Yeah." Hatter said quickly. "She'd like to try those on."

"Excellent, sir." The man led Alice by her elbow towards a black leather chair. "My name is Geoffry and I'm more than happy to assist you today. May I take your coat, dear?"

She almost said yes before she remembered her Oyster mark. "No thank you, we really can't stay long."

He nodded, his smile never fading. He looked down at her feet appraisingly. "Let me guess, you're a C, or maybe a C and a quarter."

"Yeah, a C and a quarter, I'll try that. My size tends to vary." She was grateful he guessed, it kept her from having to come up with a good reason she didn't know her own shoe size.

"Perfect, I'll be right out with those, and I have a few lovely pairs of heels I think you'll like as well."

He headed towards the back of the shop and Hatter leaned down against the back of the chair. "I've got to hand it to him, he's good at his job. Polite, charming, good judge of what people like. Still a slimy bastard, and a bit on the fruity side, but good at what he does."

Alice smiled and couldn't help the retort that fell from her lips. "Kind of like a certain Tea seller I know."

"Oi, I'm about to spend a small fortune to make your tiny little size C feet happy and you're going to call me slimy?"

She laughed. "I didn't say slimy. I was agreeing with the polite and charming part."

Before he had a chance to comment back, Geoffry came back with a stack of boxes. He knelt down and helped remove her boots. "I must say, these are absolutely gorgeous. What shop did you buy them from?"

Her mind went blank trying to come up with a believable lie. Hatter jumped in with an answer.

"A second-hand shop if I remember right. I think they're Oyster castoffs."

Geoffry sighed and stared at the boot in his hands. "Oysters did always have the best tastes in footwear." He looked up at Alice, his wide smile returning. "Some of our best shoes were modeled off Oyster castoffs. It's a pity the Prince won't let any more come across the Looking Glass."

She didn't know whether to take that as a complement or be insulted. Then again, she didn't know what he meant by Oyster castoffs. She'd have to remember to ask Hatter about it after they left.

Geoffry slipped the white sandals on her and they were a perfect fit. At least now she knew her own shoe size. She stood, walked around the chair, and over to the floor length mirror.

"Those are nice." Hatter said. "Do you like them?"

She studied her feet in the mirror for a second before turning and smiling. "I do, they're cute."

"Can't put a price on a smile like that, can you?" Geoffry said tapping Hatter lightly on the arm.

Hatter glanced down at the price on the box. "I know plenty of ways to make her happy. I'm not paying that."

Unfazed, he opened the next box and placed a pair of red platform pumps with criss-cross ankle straps in front of her. Alice slipped out to the white flats and into the pumps. She loved the shape they gave her legs and the few extra inches they added to her height.

Geoffry smiled. "I'm sure we can do a multi-purchase discount."

By the time they left Frogs, Alice had several new shoes and Hatter was exhausted from haggling with Geoffry.

Alice leaned against him as they walked back home. "That wasn't too bad ,was it?"

Hatter shrugged his shoulders. "Not as bad as I was expecting. However, right after lunch, I'm going to give you that lesson in currency."

She looked down at her new pair of Sorrel sandals. He noticed her downward glance and pulled her closer as they walked.

"I knew you had to have a downside, just my bad luck your habit's an expensive one." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "But, as long as you're happy, it's money well spent."

She stopped walking and pulled him into a proper kiss. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips.

"You're welcome, Kettle."

_A/n_

_I haven't said it in a few chapters but thanks so much to Iellix for betaing for me. And thank you everyone who continues to read and review my story!_

_EtherealDemon asked "If Alice is both an Oyster and from the White side is she then overly emotional and is Hatters 'Sledgehammer' connected to his being from the White side?"_

_I may never work the answer into a chapter so here it is, I see it as the world you're born into being the driving force behind the emotional state. It's similar to zodiac signs. If your born under the Red Queen you have an equal chance of being slightly emotional or having very little emotion. While being born under the White Queen, you could be born with what we would consider, normal emotion or you could be overly emotional. _

_Genetics really have nothing to do with it, it's where you're born that effects you. So Alice, being born in our world, would have the normal emotional range of us Oysters. _

_I'm still trying to work the Sledgehammer explanation into the story. So I hope this cleared up a few points._ :)


	15. Hey nonny, nonny

_A/n_

_If you like this kind of AU where Alice stays in Wonderland longer, there is a story called Queens, by Sake-kunXx. I recommend you check it out, and review to encourage more chapters. :)_

Hey nonny, nonny

By the time they got back to the Tea House, Dormie and the construction workers were already working in the Trade Room. Hatter introduced her to William and his son Will, who were going to build the solid wood bar Hatter had planned.

William asked what kind of design Hatter had planned for the front panels. He replied that he would like a carving of the Mad Hatter and Alice of Legend at the famous tea party, minus the March Hare, of course. One sharp elbow to the side later and he quickly changed his mind, saying he would think of something better.

He sent Dormie out to get them lunch. They took refuge in his office to escape the noise of the work being done to the front. While they waited for Dormie, Hatter gave her a lesson in Currency.

It had taken an hour, but somewhere along the line, and in between lunch, Hatter had managed to help her find a connection between U.S currency and the coins Wonderland used.

By the time they finished, two things were true: one, she fully understood all fourteen different Wonderland coins and could easily make change, and two, she understood exactly how much Hatter had spent on those seven pairs of shoes. Even having talked Geoffry down in price, it was still the equivalent of a full month of paychecks from the Dojo.

She'd felt a little bad after that, mentioning to him that he shouldn't have spent that much on her. He laughed her off.

"You need shoes luv, and it's not like I don't have the money to keep ya well dressed."

He kissed her and gently pushed her backwards, so she ended up sitting on his desk. "If you're that worried about it, I can think of a few ways you can work off the payment."

He nudged her head back and greedily kissed and bit his way from her chin to her shoulder. She ran her hands along the waistband of his trousers and pulled his shirt free. His hands ran up her thighs, pushing her skirt up high. He trailed his fingers against the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, drawing a low moan from her lips.

"Of course, seeing how much money I spent today, it's going to take a _long_ time to work your debt off."

She smiled shyly at him. "I guess I should start right away then."

She had just started working on his belt buckle when there was a knock at the door. Hatter cursed and yanked her skirt back down before yelling at the door.

"What!"

Dormie opened the door, unaware he was interrupting anything. "The guys want to know what type of wood you want used for the trim round the doors and the ceiling."

Hatter threw up his hands in exasperation. "I don't care. Brown I suppose, tell them to use something brown."

"Right boss," Dormie said before closing the door. Hatter sighed, and then she swore she heard him whimper when she left her place on his desk.

"It's probably not the best time for this anyway. Anyone could walk in on us."

Hatter moved quickly and grabbed her hands trying to pull her back towards the desk. "I'll lock the door, it'll be fine."

The heat of the moment was gone and reason was creeping back into her mind. "There's at least ten people right in the next room, they'll hear us."

He gestured towards the other room. "There's no way, not over all that noise."

He tried to walk her backwards again but she held firm. "We should probably just go see Charlie anyway. I don't want to get to the palace too late and have him not be there."

He sighed and hung his head in defeat. He had a way of looking like a hurt puppy when he didn't get his way and it made her feel guilty for turning him down.

"When we get back..." he said, shaking his finger at her.

"Yes," she agreed, kissing him quickly. "When we get back _and_ we're alone."

They took a Scarab to the palace and Moth directed them to where Charlie was doing his training. The area where the knights trained was beyond the royal gardens. It was a clear-cut field surrounded by forest.

There were men and women in the field, some were sword fighting and others were just running and doing exercise. Again, just like everything else in Wonderland, the recruits were split by color. Half wore red tunics and half wore white. They spotted Charlie across the filed working with two rows of recruits.

The two carefully made their way past the sword fighters, Alice realizing they were in the extreme beginning stages and in no way graceful. She watched as one recruit accidentally landed a blow against the other. When no blood spilled from the wound she sighed in relief. Thank god the swords weren't sharp.

Charlie caught sight of them and quickly dismissed his men.

"Just-Alice!" He exclaimed as he quickly embraced her. She wouldn't have minded how tightly he was hugging her, if he hadn't been wearing his full suit of armor.

"Charlie, you're crushing me."

He loosened his grip but continued hugging her. "I'm sorry dear, it has simply been ages since we last met."

"It's only been four days, Charlie," Hatter said before looking down at her and rolling his eyes.

"Yes, and exactly what _have_ you been doing for four days?" He questioned Hatter,his voice taking on an accusing tone.

Hatter seemed taken aback by Charlie's sudden change in mood. "We would have come by sooner, but we've been busy."

"Yes, I have two eyes, you know, and the ability to read! The papers make it quite clear the kind of _activities_ you have swayed young Alice into partaking with you! I left her in your care because I believed you would keep her safe."

Charlie was advancing as he spoke, forcing Hatter to walk backwards to put space between them.

"I don't know what's got a bee in your _escutcheon_, ya really can't trust what ya read in the papers."

She walked a few paces behind Charlie, debating whether to save Hatter or not. It may have been a bit wicked, but she decided on not.

"You know. I had believed you to be a man of high morals, what with the way you protected Alice and were so determined to stay by her side. Turns out, you were simply lusting after her the whole time. Degenerate! Swindler! Poisonous bunch-back'd toad! Why in my day, a man courted a lady for a full year before he so much as kissed her hand!"

Hatter gave her a pitiful look. She couldn't help but speak up and save him. "Charlie, you've lived alone in the woods for a hundred plus years, things have changed a lot since then."

The knight stopped his pursuit and looked at her before pointing a armored finger at Hatter. "This _knug-_head has soiled your virtue! As your defender I am duty-bound to restore your honor."

Hatter pushed Charlie's hand away. "First of all, I didn't soil her or dishonor her in any way. Second, I'm not sure what a _knug_ is but I'm sure it's not something I should be called."

Deciding Hatter had been through enough, she stepped between him and the knight. "Charlie, Hatter's been nothing but a gentleman since I've been stuck here. He's been showing me around the city and helping me get used to living here."

Charlie looked back and forth between the two, a curly white eyebrow arched high in suspicion.

"Charles!"

The White Knight's face paled at the screeching of his name. Despite his earlier statement of being her defender, he was behind her in a heartbeat. His hands grasped her shoulders and he crouched low to hid behind her short frame.

"White Queen save me! It's that devil woman again!"

Magpie came marching toward them from far across the field. Behind her, dressed in a shiny new suit of red armor, was Kiwi. She, apparently, was struggling under the wight of her armor. She kept trying to match Magpie's long strides and quick pace but simply couldn't do it.

"Sir Charles! What exactly is the meaning of this." She demanded, gesturing at Kiwi.

Charlie stepped out from behind her, obviously trying to look brave but failing.

"Madam, I do not know to what you might be referring."

Kiwi finally caught up with the group and was now doubled over, panting. Her dark red hair fell in a long braid down her back and blended strangely with her armor.

Magpie nodded toward Hatter and Alice in a gesture of acknowledgement before turning her attention back to Kiwi. She gave the girl a disapproving glare before answering Charlie. "Explain to me, how exactly is she to function in this tin suit you've put her in?"

Charlie straightened his posture and held his chin high. "That tin suit, as you call it, is a shinning example of knightly craftsmanship. Lady Kiwi must become accustomed to the weight of her armor. A true knight regards his armor as a second skin, its weight a comfort, not a burden."

Despite the fact that Charlie had attacked him only moments before, Hatter spoke out in his defense. "That's true, I know for a fact he can swim clear across a lake in this getup."

Having finally caught her breath, Kiwi agreed. "That's what I was trying to tell you. I mean look at him, he's a million years old. If he can walk around in a full set of armor then so can I. I just have to get used to it."

Magpie crossed her arms over her chest and continued to glare at the old knight. "All right, I don't understand it but I'll let it go. I suppose you have a good explanation for the fact that all my former men are dressed in red while Turtle's are in white?"

Charlie took a nervous step back from the blonde. "Your men are simply more... well-suited to be Red Knights then White."

"No, no, no," Kiwi said enthusiastically, a wide smile framing her face. "Explain it to her the way you did me."

"Well you see, the job of a White Knight is primarily protection and defense. Red Knights, are more adapt at, err... warfare and fighting." Charlie seemed to stumble on the words "warfare" and "fighting", he clearly wanted to say something else but changed his words at the last moment.

Kiwi grabbed the older woman's arm, tugging on her like an inpatient child, her smile wide. "What he means is, I'm more suited for killing and maiming. He said we were all too violent to be White Knights."

Magpie arched a delicate eyebrow. "Are you telling me not one of my men was docile enough to be a White Knight?"

"Madam, those men of yours harbor far too much anger and aggression to even be considered for a position among the White Knights."

"Well, I suppose that means I've done my job correctly." She nodded at Kiwi. "You learn the ways of the knights, but don't forget what I taught you."

Kiwi saluted, looking very much like a soldier. "Yes ma'am."

Magpie left the way she came. When she was out of sight Charlie breathed a sigh of relief.

"That woman scares the cronkers out of me." Then he gestured back at Kiwi. "This is Kiwi, my new trainee."

"And leader of the Red Knights," she added cheerfully. "Don't bother with introductions Charlie, we've all met before."

Alice nodded at Kiwi. "It's good to see you enjoy being a knight. You didn't seem too pleased about it that last time I saw you."

Kiwi shifted, obviously still uncomfortable in her heavy armor. "Well when I thought about it, I realized my only real options were this or spending my days in political meetings. Like Charlie here said, I'm much more suited for war."

Hatter's face soured at her eagerness. "Well hopefully there won't be much warring going on any time soon. We could use a bit o' peace in Wonderland."

Alice laced her fingers through Hatter's in a gesture of silent agreement. "So are you going to stay here then, Charlie? What about the Kingdom of the Knights?"

Charlie was going to answer but Kiwi cut him off. "We're going to rebuild it!"

Charlie shook his finger at her. "Now I've already explained this, that can't happen now."

"Why not?" Asked Hatter

"Well, because" Charlie answered, his hand making small circles in the air. "The Kingdom of the Knights is neutral territory. If it is to be rebuilt, then both the Red and White Sides have to be involved. Equal effort must be put forth by both sides or the kingdom would be unbalanced"

Kiwi huffed. "I don't see why those White Siders have to be told about it. It's stupid."

Charlie stood in front of Kiwi. "I've told you to let go of that hatred, young lady. As a knight you have to be just as neutral as the kingdom you serve. You're no longer a Red Sider, you now belong to both sides, so get used to it."

Kiwi rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

"Charlie?" Alice asked. "Why can't you rebuild now? Does the White Side not want to help?"

"No, it's not that, Jack won't send an ambassador to the White Side. He says it's too soon to publicly form an alliance of any kind with the White Side. He's afraid it will make him look weak."

"Oh god, not political talk again!" Kiwi whined, sounding like a child and not a woman. "I joined the knights to get away from all that."

Charlie snapped to attention and looked down at the small woman. "Well then, Lady Kiwi, gather your men and have them begin their drills."

Kiwi saluted Charlie the same way she did Magpie before she trudged off across the field.

Charlie watched her go. "She'll make a fine Red Knight, if only she can shake her feelings against the White Side."

Alice looked at him. "I'm sure Jack will send an ambassador as soon as he can."

"Well if he doesn't, I'll just undertake the journey myself. Of course, I will have to wait until the recruits are trained before I can go." Charlie looked over at the training knights. "You know, I lived so long protecting the dead. It's nice to be among the living again.

Alice couldn't help but reach out and hug Charlie. "I'm glad you're happy, Charlie."

He returned her hug, patting her lightly on the back. "I'm happy for you as well, Alice."

They visited with Charlie for a few hours before he had to get back to his trainees. Alice thought it was incredibly funny how every time Hatter would touch her or even brush against her, Charlie would chastise him for being inappropriate. It became a game between them. Each finding a way to touch the other when the knight wasn't looking. Even when she got caught touching him, Charlie still yelled at Hatter.

By the time they returned to the Tea House, Dormie and the workers had all left for the night. They went upstairs and she settled on the couch while Hatter made a pot of tea.

She kept thinking about what Charlie said, that he was grateful to be among the living again. He'd been alone for so long before she and Hatter found him. She couldn't imagine living in a decaying city, having only dead and decaying knights for company. She wished there was something she could do to help him. Maybe she could talk to Jack, convince him to send an ambassador to the White Side.

"What are you thinking about that's got you looking so sad?"

He handed her a cup and he joined her on the couch. "I was just thinking about Charlie. I feel bad for him. He's waited so long for his home to be restored. Now he has to wait even longer."

"Home is where the heart is, luv. If Charlie's happy where he is then it's just as good as home. Don't ya think?"

She could tell by the way he was looking at her that there was hidden meaning to his words. He was right, home is where the heart is. She wasn't at her home, but this one was just as good. Maybe even better because Hatter was here with her.

She set her cup down and moved down the couch so she could lean against him. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, pressing a light kiss to her temple.

"Yeah, you're right, as long as you're happy with where you are and who you're with, home can be anywhere."

He nodded and they sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before he spoke again.

"So, did you have a good day?"

She thought for a moment then answered. "Let's see, shoe shopping, visiting Charlie, making out in your office,... yeah, I'd call that a good day."

He chuckled. "That's right, I almost forgot about that. You did promised me we'd continue where we left off when we got home."

"You almost forgot? Really?"

He shook his head. "No, I remembered, I just thought I'd give ya a bit of time to unwind before I pounced on ya."

"How kind of you." She swung her leg over his and straddled his lap. "You know, I'm beginning to think the papers were right about you. I think you did buy me to be a sex slave."

He brought his hands up and began rubbing slow circles against her hips.

"Not true. I bought you because I wanted to help a poor, wet, little Oyster who lost her way." She looked at him skeptically and he smiled up at her. "The fact that you're beautiful and attractive and were wearing a very wet dress was just extra incentive."

She playfully shoved him against the back of the couch. "I knew you didn't have good intentions."

"I had only the best intentions." He leaned up and kissed her lips before moving down her neck, speaking in between each kiss. "I still do. I only want to keep you happy, and satisfied, and show you how much I love you."

Her heart stopped when he said he loved her. He said it so simply, like it was a fact she should have already been aware of. Old fears and doubts quickly made their way into her thoughts, but she didn't have time to react. He silenced any words she might have spoken with another kiss and held her tight against him. He stood up with her still in his arms and carried her to the bed.

He laid her across the bed and followed her down, never breaking their kiss. His hands ran over her body while he kissed her senseless. Any thought of protest quickly left her as he murmured words hot and sweet against her ear. His voice chased her doubt back down into her subconscious and all she could focus on was his body against hers.

She'd deal with 'I love yous' and all things associated with them later. Right now, she had more important things to think about.

_A/n_

_Next chapter will be the last fluff filler for a while before we get into more angst and plot. I had a hard time writing Charlie but Iellix helped me out tweaking his lines. I hope he came across ok. _

_William, the man working on the bar, got his name from a poem found in the original Alice in Wonderland. The poem is called You Are Old, Father William, you can find it by doing a quick wikipedia search. _

___Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews, I really appreciate them! You're all very clever and have lots of great thoughts and ideas that help me with my writing. They also let me know I'm still doing a good job for you guys._


	16. Great Gryphons

_A/n _

_This chapter introduces Gryphon. I based his character off of the version of Alice in wonderland from 1999. It was written by Nick Willing so I figured I'd use his Gryphon as the base for mine. Theres a clip on youtube if you want to check it out. _

_Remove the spaces._

Http:/ www. youtube. com/watch? v=_qIaRMVxG9w

Great Gryphons

The morning had been uneventful. Construction had fully begun on the Tea House. William had started working on the solid wood bar and the rest of the crew worked on the walls, floors, and the stage Hatter wanted built. He planned on having live music most nights and would have a sound system put in for the others. Beyond those changes, most of the Trade Room could be kept as it was.

The metal bars around the bar and the stage would have to be removed. Hatter explained the original purpose for this building was a cattle barn, and the bars were what was left of the holding pens. When he bought it, he liked the industrial look it had and how very _not_ Lower City it was.

She and Hatter spent most of the day in his office. Hatter had to fill out some paperwork documenting what Teas had been stolen, and that he no longer had any in his possession. Alice spent her time laying on the couch, reading one of his Wonderland books. Occasionally, they were called out to the front to make a decision on one thing or another.

Late that afternoon, the workers quit for the day. Amid all the chaos of the workers packing up and leaving, she had somehow lost track of Hatter. She found him outside holding a small, gray box in his hands. Apparently it wasn't cooperating with him because he was cursing at it and striking it occasionally.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't look up at her, he just continued to fiddle with the knobs and buttons on the box.

"I'm trying to change the text on the sign, but this damn thing won't work right."

She stood next to him and watched the red text scrolling across the large sign. It still read 'Tea House' over and over again.

"So what did you decide to name the bar?"

"I'll show you if I can get this thing working."

One more resounding smack and the sign gave an electronic click before quickly changing text. He smiled broadly at her but she could only stare up blankly as the scrolling text repeated 'Just Alice' over and over again.

"No way! Get that off there right now!"

"Oh come on, think of how many customers we'll have based on name alone."

Seeing that he had no intention of change the sign, she tried to snatch the remote from him. He walked backwards away from her, holding the box high out of her reach.

"I thought you would like it." He said smiling, as he continued toying with her.

"There's no way I'm letting you name this bar after me."

She almost had the remote but he quickly pulled away.

"Well, aren't you full of yourself. Who's to say its not a tribute to the first Alice? She was legendary too, you know."

Finally stealing the box from him, she stared down at the gray remote. The satisfaction of winning their little game faded when she realized she had no idea how to work it. Judging by his smug expression, he knew this as well. With a sigh and an eye roll, she handed it back to him.

"Yeah, well, she wouldn't want a bar named after her either. Why don't you just call it Hatter's?"

"Because I don't fancy having my name up there any more than you. To be honest, I just haven't come up with anything clever yet."

"You're just teasing me?"

He tried to change the text again, this time the sign gave no response. He pulled the back off the remote and poked at the wires.

"'Course I am; if I name this place 'Alice', then I might as well paint a target on your back. I'm not stupid, luv."

He cursed again before sliding the panel back into place. "Now the remote won't work and your name's still up there. I'll have to go down to the Lower City to get it fixed."

Alice shrugged her shoulders and headed back into the Tea House. "Have fun with that."

His face fell in disappointment and the broken remote hung loose in his hand. "You're not going with me?"

She didn't turn around, just glanced back at him. "Serves you right for teasing me. Besides, one of us has to stay here and actually do some work today."

She watched as he walked away. "All the women in Wonderland, and I end up with the spiteful one."

Going back inside, she took in the chaotic state of the former Trade Room. She could tell the workers did their best to pick up after themselves, but there was still a huge amount of sawdust and dirt that littered the floor. She started sweeping up around work benches and tools. She let her mind wander as she absentmindedly cleaned.

She was shaken from her thoughts by a loud knocking at the front door. She had no idea who it could be. Hatter wouldn't bother knocking at his own door and Dormie had a key. Maybe it was the Suits coming to check up on her.

She opened the door and found a tall man who she'd never seen before. He was dressed nicely in a dark-brown pinstriped suit. On his lapel was a golden pin in the shape of a lobster. He smiled and quickly removed his brown fedora, reveling a head of light-brown, curly hair.

"Ah, hello! Who are you?" He asked, in what sounded like an upper-class English accent.

She kept her hand braced against the door, in case he tried anything funny. "I think I'm supposed to ask you that question, you are knocking at _my_ door after all."

"Really?" he asked, looking at the door. "Here I thought this was Hatter's shop. Though, that would explain the name on the sign being different. That would make you Alice wouldn't it?"

She was becoming very cautious at this point. There tended to be just as many people who hated Hatter as there were who liked him. "He's not here right now, so maybe you should come back later."

She was about to close the door but he pushed it open. "Now my dear, it's quite rude to shut the door on someone before you've given them a chance to introduce themselves."

"I've given you plenty of..."

He cut her off before she could finish. "My name is Gryphon, Hatter wanted me check in on his plans for the bar and to bring over some samples of my stock."

He bent down and picked up one of the three boxes at his feet. He stood, and winced in pain as he tried to straighten his back.

"Would you mind giving me a hand, dear? I'm not as young as I used to be."

She scrutinized him for a moment before deciding to open the door and let him in. He thanked her and she picked up the remaining boxes. She followed him into the Trade room, and watched as he surveyed the work that had been done.

His gaze fell to the bar and he smiled. "Ah, I see Hatter took my advice and hired William to do the craft work."

She followed him over to the bar and set the boxes on its unfinished surface. "You can tell just by looking who's making it?"

"Why certainly, dear." He turned to open the box next to him, but stopped halfway. "He comes from a long line of craftsmen you know." He turned away a second time, but still did not get to the box before commenting again. "He does magnificent work."

Another turn and pause before returning to comment. It was like he felt the need to speak whatever thoughts popped into his head, and couldn't speak without looking at who he was talking to.

"All the men in his family are named William, one of those generational things. One time, there was a girl born into the family and they named her Willamina. Terrible name for a girl."

Finally, he managed to get into the box and pulled out a bottle of amber colored liquid. She wasn't sure what he was going to do but she didn't like the idea of being alone with this stranger.

"Hatter should be back in a few hours, maybe you could come back then?"

He paused in the middle of emptying more bottles on the counter. He looked genuinely surprised, before looking her over carefully.

"You're skeptical of me? That's a very good quality for an Oyster. I suspect it will keep you safe."

"Excuse me?" Had he seen her Oyster mark? She discreetly looked down at her arm to make sure her shirt sleeves were still covering it.

He pulled up one of the bar stools and sat down. "Don't worry about it dear, Hatter already told me all about you. Lucky him, dating Alice-of-legend."

She was surprised Hatter would tell anyone she was an Oyster, considering how dead set he was against anyone knowing she was here. "Why would Hatter say that?"

Gryphon picked up a long piece of scrap wood that was laying on the counter. "I suppose because it's the truth. Turtle said the same thing."

"You know Turtle?"

"Of course I do. He's my best friend, you know. We went to school together." He began tapping the wood against the counter top in a nervous rhythm. "He said that you and Hatter are well suited for each other. What with your lean toward danger and poor decision-making."

Knowing that Turtle also knew Gryphon put her mind at ease a little. Turtle was extremely cautious and wouldn't tell just anyone she was an Oyster. Between that, and the fact Hatter also trusted him with that information, meant she could trust him as well.

"Turtle's a good man. Hatter must trust you a lot to tell you I'm an Oyster."

Faster than she could register Gryphon smacked the wood against her hand. It was more shocking than painful, and she stumbled backwards away from the bar.

"What the hell?"

"Let that be a lesson to you," He said, setting the wood calmly down on the bar top. "I knew nothing about you being an Oyster before entering here. You gave yourself away."

Alice rubbed the angry red welt forming on the back of her hand. "You were lying?"

He folded his hand neatly in front of him. "Absolutely not, that would be rude. I am both a friend of Turtle and Hatter, and both did indeed mention you. However, neither of them would ever volunteer the fact that you're an Oyster. Especially not Hatter. I simply figured all that out on my own."

"Then why did you..."

"Because you let me in, dear. I'm a complete stranger to you and yet the moment I showed weakness you took pity on me and let me in. Hatter did tell me your name was Alice, but he never said you were _The_ Alice. When you let me in, even though you didn't want me here, I wanted to see how easy it would be to trick you."

Alice stood just staring at him. She was unsure what to make of him and had no idea what his intentions were.

"I did you a service, dear. Should anyone come snooping around with bad intentions, you'll be much more cautious next time. Now, come have a seat and we'll continue our chat."

When she didn't move to join him he sighed and walked around the bar towards her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her gently towards the bar.

"No more tricks, dear. I've known Hatter for years and am very fond of him. I do have your best interest at heart. Think of it as one more lesson; I'm sure you've learned a lot since coming to Wonderland."

Reluctantly she sat at the bar, watching him carefully. He pulled two shot glasses from the box at his side and placed one in front of her.

"Here, let me make it up to you. Seeing as how Hatter is not here to sample my alcohol, I suppose you're the next best thing."

She pushed the glass away from her. After the trick he just played on her she wasn't about to get drunk with the man. "I'm not really a big drinker."

Gryphon pulled the top off the bottle and poured them both a half shot. "It's not drinking, we're just sampling. You are going to help Hatter run things here, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Yes but..."

He slid the shot glass back her way. "Then you need to know what you're selling. When Hatter gets back I'll have him try it as well."

He sighed when she still made no move to take the glass. "Please dear, I'm an old man and can't afford to waste time, since I'm running out of it and all. Leaving and coming back makes little sense."

She picked up the shot glass and sniffed its contents. It smelled like whiskey. She was going to take a sip but Gryphon stopped her.

"I almost forgot." He reached into his coat and pulled out a small flask. "Take a small sip of this, dear. Not too much though, too much of anything is never good."

She stared at the flask in his hand but didn't move to take it. "What is it?"

"Just a little something I invented, a mix of herbs and medicine. It helps the body break down alcohol and prevent you from getting sick or hungover. If you're not a big drinker, you should really take this."

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. This was likely another trick and she wasn't going to be fooled twice. "You first."

Gryphon smiled at her. "That's a clever girl." He quickly took his shot before pouring out a small amount of clear liquid from the flask. He held the glass out just to be sure she saw it before drinking it.

"I told you dear, no more tricks. Won't do to have too many lessons in one day. That tends to bog down the mind."

She took the flask from him and took a small sip. It tasted like mint and honey and wasn't unpleasant at all. She finished the shot he poured her previously. It was whiskey, but it went down much more smoothly than any she had ever tried before.

Gryphon watched her carefully for her reaction. "Well, dear?"

"Not too bad."

"Excellent! On to the next" He pulled out another bottle and again, poured them another half shot.

Hours later, outside the Tea House, Hatter and Dormie stood arguing.

"Come on, boss! I know I've messed up lately, but you don't really have a better name in mind."

Hatter, shiny new remote in hand, deleted the 'Just Alice' text and replaced it again with 'Tea House'.

"Dormie, I am not going to name this place 'The Dormouse'. I'll think of something, I just need more time." Hatter looked down to find Dormie asleep where he stood. He gently kicked the little man until he woke up again. "Don't fall asleep now. Let's just get inside before Alice thinks I've abandoned her."

They entered the room and heard the sound of laughing echoing through the shop. He slowed as he approached the end of the hallway, wondering who Alice was laughing with. Peeking out from around the corner he saw her sitting on a bar stool, head thrown back in laughter. Gryphon was behind the counter pouring out two more shots of some drink and handing her one. He held his shot out in front of her, and she did the same.

"So then the snail says to the porpoise, that why it's called a lobster quadrille!"

The pair broke out in another round of laughter, before both quickly downed their shots. Hatter entered the room, Dormie following close behind him.

"What are you two doing?" He knew what they were doing, but he wanted to know _why_ they were drinking together.

"Hatter!" Alice called out, almost falling off her seat as she turned towards him. Gryphon saved her from falling by quickly grabbing her hand and pulling her back toward the bar.

"Keep your balance, it'll do you no good to lose it, dear."

She nodded and slipped off the stool. She took a moment to steady herself before running towards him and throwing her arms around him. She giggled and smiled up at him. He could smell the alcohol on her breath and wondered how much she had to drink.

"Hatter, what took you so long? You know, Gryphon says that wasting time is a crime."

She laughed at her own joke and Gryphon joined her. Apparently the two had become fast friends in the few hours he was away.

"That's correct," Gryphon said, pouring himself another shot. "It certainty is a waste of time for a man such as yourself, who has such a lovely lady waiting for him, to spend time away from her. I believe you should punish him, dear."

She hid her face against his neck and slid her hands into his back pockets. "That's right, you shouldn't stay away so long. I missed you."

He stiffened under her advances, trying not to react to her roaming hands. Alice was drunk and suddenly had no problem with publicly groping him. Behind him he heard Dormie laugh and looked over to see the small man climb up a bar stool and accept a shot from Gryphon.

Alice rocked back and forth in his arms. "Gryphon is so funny and smart. Did you know that?"

She didn't wait for him to answer, instead she went back to the bar and sat on her stool again. She patted the bar and Gryphon happily slid her another shot.

"This," she said, holding the shot out so he could see it, "is Tequila."

Gryphon nodded behind her. "When I made it, I called it Ocleya."

"_And_, there are at least ten other liquors he's made that are similar to ones in my world."

She turned towards Dormie and clanked her glass against his. She downed her shot, cringing as she did. "Can you believe that? He had no knowledge of liquor from my world, but still came up with similar tasting drinks. It's amazing."

"Well yes," said Gryphon proudly. "I always did like Oysters and I suppose great minds do think alike."

Dormie was making a horrible face at the shot he just took. "That's vile. Do you have anything smoother?"

"Oh," Alice said, knocking her glass against the bar and pointing at a box behind Gryphon. "Get him a glass of that bale... bealie..."

"Bealberry-brandy." Gryphon finished for her.

"Yeah, that." She waved her hand at Hatter, encouraging him to join her. "You should try it too honey, you might like it."

He shook his head and looked cautiously between the three. "No, I think one of us should stay sober. Ya know, for thinking purposes."

Alice scrunched up her nose at him. "I'm not drunk." She turned to Dormie. "Do you think I'm drunk?"

He shook his head and sipped his brandy. "No, pretty lady, if you don't think you're drunk then I don't either."

"Oh, that's so sweet!" She reached out and ruffled the little mans hair.

Gryphon leaned against the counter top. "Why of course you're not drunk, dear. In my experience, women simply become friendly whey they drink."

Alice giggled. "Friendly."

She was about to take another shot when Hatter stopped her. "Oh no, I think you've had enough." He looked behind her to see Gryphon resting his head on the counter. "You too, old man, time to go home."

Gryphon raised his head and nodded in acknowledgment. "I suppose so, it is late."

Alice slid off her stool and leaned against him. She slipped her hands into his front pockets this time, and began moving against him through the thin fabric of his pants.

She pressed her face against his chest and closed her eyes. "I guess that means it's time for bed."

Hatter gently pulled her hands from his pockets and held them firmly so he could stop her from touching him. "Dormie, take Gryphon home."

Dormie looked down at his half-full glass. "But boss, I just started drinking."

Even though he had her hands in a firm grip, she was still wiggling against him and frankly driving him crazy. "Now, Dormie."

Gryphon walked around the bar, putting his jacket and hat on. "Come along my good fellow. If you fancy drinking, I have a few more brandies you may like back at my place."

The two men left and Hatter stared down at Alice.

"I leave you alone for a few hours, and look at the trouble you get yourself into."

She wiggled free from his hold and stole his hat. She walked away from him before putting it on and turning back to him. When she spoke, her words were slightly slurred.

"It's your fault. You left and I had to stay and sample. I did all the work today you know, you really owe me."

She turned away from him again and started walking towards the apartment door. He shook his head and followed close behind her, making sure she didn't fall on her way upstairs.

He flipped on the light to the apartment and watched as she stumbled in. She made her way towards the bed, kicking off her shoes as she went. When she reached the bed, he watched her raise her skirt and shimmy out of her tights and knickers.

She was drunk, and obviously not in her right mind. He knew a real gentleman would never take advantage of a woman in her state. On the other hand, she had been teasing him mercilessly since he came home, so she certainty wasn't against sleeping with him. And besides, no one had ever accused him of being a gentleman.

All doubt left his mind when she turned around and slowly began unbuttoning her shirt. The top fell silently to the floor and she smiled slyly at him. She was now only wearing a skirt, her bra, and his hat.

"Hatter, don't you want to come help me? I can't reach the clasp on my bra."

It was all the encouragement he needed and he closed the distance between them in a flash. He pushed her back down on the bed and began removing his clothes. She stopped him, then knelt down on the bed, resting on her heels. She looked up at him with the seriousness that only the drunk could master.

"I was thinking this afternoon, about my dad."

He rolled his eyes and felt his hopes for the night fall to his feet. He knew drinking severely messed with one's emotions and a drunk, unhappy Alice was the last thing he wanted.

"You really shouldn't think about your dad right now, considering I have more interesting things on my mind."

She waved her hand at him and held a finger to her lips, giving a long hushing noise.

"It's not about _him_. He's White Side, like you." She jabbed a finger into his chest and he grunted in protest. "Sorry." She apologized in a drunken slur.

She rose up and kissed the spot on his chest, her tongue licking slowly over his heart. Too quickly she was back resting on the bed. He groaned in frustration. She needed to make up her damn mind whether she wanted to attack him or talk.

"Hatter," she said, looking up at him, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if we're related?"

He wanted to be easy on her, given her current state. The absurdity of her question, combined with her constant teasing, made him want to reach out and shake her. He calmed a bit when he looked in her eyes and actually saw fear hiding behind her blurry drunkenness.

"Alice, you're being silly."

"I am not!" She shouted, pouting like a little girl. "What if we're cousins or something?"

He reached down and cupped her chin, trying to gain her full attention. "Listen to me very carefully. There isn't a chance in Wonderland that you and I are related."

She rose up off the bed again, pressing herself against his body. "How can you be so sure?"

She buried her face against his chest. A small sob escaped her lips and he felt the moisture of her tears against his skin. Silently he cursed Gryphon and his damn liquor. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. Even if it was for a ridiculous reason, he wouldn't deny her comfort.

"Because luv, if your dad was a scholar, then your family is leagues above mine in social standing. My father owned a farm and textile mill, even on the best year we were still middle class. There's no way anyone from my family would ever have married into yours."

He leaned back so he could look at her. "If we had both stayed on the White Side and somehow managed to meet, you would have never thought twice about me. I would have been way below your standards."

Her sadness seemed to disappear in a flash as her mind tried to focus on this new information. "You mean we would never be together?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No, not a chance. If we ever did meet, I would have likely been serving you in some way. We never would have been equals."

"Oh really?"

She looked up at him through her eyelashes and even in her drunken state, was extremely seductive. She leaned back on the bed, supported by her elbows. She shook her hair back behind her shoulders and smiled up at him.

"So, you would have been like my servant boy or something, right?"

That wasn't exactly what he had been getting at, but she was finally back in a flirty, playful mood and he was not about to correct her. "I might have been. Is that something you fancy?"

She caught him by surprise when her bare foot nudged against his crotch. "Hmmm, it just sounds like a scene from some steamy romance novel. I believe I'd _fancy_ that very much."

She said that last line in, what he guessed, was an attempt to mock his accent. She wasn't very good at it, but somehow that only made it sexier. He knelt down on the floor and grabbed her by the back of her knees, pulling her quickly towards him.

"I suppose, if that's the case, I should do a better job serving you, my lady."

_A/n _

_I feel bad that I cant write smut, I always seem to leave you all hanging. Maybe one day I'll have to try my hand at it. Anyway, fluff for you today, and next week we continue with plot. As always thank you to those who take the time to review, they always make me happy! _

_A few comments on this chapter: One, drunk Alice is very fun to write. I don't think there are enough fics out there where she and Hatter have a few drinks and let themselves be silly. Two, If you watch the DVD with commentary on, you hear Nick Willing talking about Hatters shop. He says they filmed the Tea House scenes in a cattle barn. Which is why I reference it in this chapter. _

_Also,if you like Primeval, iEvenstarEstel wrote a great fic called 'Cloudy With A Chance Of Connors' and Iellix is writing a sequel to that called 'Three's Company'. Both are great a great read, so check them out. _


	17. A lot

A lot

Alice woke the next morning, feeling surprisingly good. Considering how much she had to drink the night before, she had expected a hangover the size of New Jersey. Despite what she told Gryphon, she actually drank on a fairly regular basis. It helped that her best friend dated the manager of a night club. Friday nights for her had involved significantly more drinking now that the drinks were free. That fact led to many a morning praying to the porcelain god.

She got out of bed, testing to see if the effects of gravity would change how she felt. There was no nausea and the room wasn't spinning. True to his word, Gryphon's medicine worked wonders.

She looked around the apartment and found that Hatter was gone. He hadn't slept in this morning and hadn't woken her up either. She took her time showering and getting dressed, while she waited for him to get back from where ever he went. She was just finishing getting ready when Hatter came back.

He looked stunned by the fact that she was indeed out of bed and dressed for the day. "Wow, I can't believe you're even up. Don't Oysters get sick from drinking?"

"Of course we do," she answered. "Gryphon gave me some medicine yesterday. He said it would keep me from getting sick."

He looked her over. "I see it worked. If it works that well on everyone, Gryphon's going to be a rich man."

"We should ask him to sell it exclusively to us. That way, we'd be the only bar in Wonderland that you can drink at and _not_ feel like crap the next day."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Excellent idea, Kettle. I'll be sure to talk to him about it." He took her hand and lead her into the kitchen. "Are you hungry? Do you want breakfast?"

She sat down at the kitchen table. "Yeah, I'm a little hungry. Have you eaten yet?"

He pulled out some eggs and milk from the fridge. "No, I was waiting to see how you felt before I did anything. Didn't want the smell of food to make you sick. I know that's happened to me before."

"Well that's thoughtful of you. So, where did you go this morning?"

Hatter huffed as he cracked the eggs into the frying pan. "I took the Tea reports to the Clubs. You'd think they would be satisfied with the list of stolen Tea, but no; now they want complete records of inventory for the last six months. I swear, the Queen never made me do this much paperwork."

"Oh you poor baby," she said, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Make fun of me if you want, but it's more difficult then it sounds." He placed a plate of eggs in front of her before sitting down with his own. "Believe it or not, I was never one to keep accurate records."

She took a few bites of her eggs. "So what are you going to give them?"

"I don't know, I hate to falsify the numbers. I'll just have to make it up as best I can. Shouldn't be too hard, just time consuming."

She found it funny that he didn't want to lie to the Clubs, when he had been lying to the Queen for years. "Why would you care about lying? Is there any way they'd find out you weren't telling the truth?"

"No, I don't care if I lie, but there's little chance they'd ever find out my numbers were inaccurate. It's just that having them find out about me not completing my work makes me feel like a schoolboy again. The teacher finds you've fallen behind in your assignments, she tells your mum. Your mum forces you to read the entirety of 'Small and Great Economics'. You know how it goes."

She laughed. "No, not really. I was a good girl in school. I always got good grades and did my homework on time, thank you very much."

He took her empty plate and added it to his in the sink. "I find that hard to believe."

"What, that I did well in school?"

He shook his head. "No, that you were a 'good girl'. I don't believe that for a moment, you have _troublemaker_ written all over you."

"Well, I did get detention a few times..." she trailed off, not willing to go into details of her school years.

"Oh, I bet you did." he held out his hand to help her up. "I imagine you were quite the handful in your teenage years. If your mum has any gray hairs, I bet you're the cause of every one."

She rolled her eyes and followed him downstairs. "I wasn't that bad, I only ended up in jail twice."

That statement had Hatter rolling with laughter.

The afternoon will filled with more heavy construction. Hatter stayed in his office to do the paperwork the Clubs demanded of him. Alice felt sorry for him, but really didn't want to sit around all day again. She decided to see what she could do to help in the front. She'd never built anything before and her mom always hired people to do the repair work on their apartment, so she knew she wouldn't be much help with anything like that. Since there wasn't much she could do, she decided to clean up around the workers. She also chatted with William, and talked to Dormie whenever he was awake.

She hadn't been paying much attention to the people around her, and was startled when a hand gripped her shoulder. She spun around and saw Jack. He was dressed in a dark blue shirt and black slacks. His blond hair was hidden under the wide brim of a black fedora and his jacket was hung over his arm. This was the most casual she'd seen him since he'd returned to Wonderland.

"Jack, hi. What are you doing here?"

"I'd have thought that was obvious; I came to talk with you. Can't a king come mingle with his subjects?"

She smiled and gestured at his outfit. "Is that what this is? You're trying to mingle with us commoners?"

"There's nothing common about you, Alice. And yes, I'm incognito so to speak, I wanted to talk to you without an army of Suits following me." He looked around at all the work going on. "What's Hatter doing with all this?"

"Oh," Alice said. "We're going to make it into a bar, with music and dancing, like a night club. You remember that place we went to on sixth avenue? Kind of like that."

Jack smiled and nodded. "I liked that place, I liked dancing with you."

She pursed her lips together. "Yeah, that was a good time. So, what are you here for?"

William started up the circular saw, the loud roar of cutting wood echoed off the walls. Jack held a hand over one ear. "Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?" Alice nodded and he followed her back to Hatter's office.

Hatter raised his head to look at them as they entered. "Hey, Jacky boy, pop in for a visit?"

"Alice was just telling me about your plans for the Tea House. I think it's an excellent idea, we could use a bit more nightlife in the city."

Hatter nervously tapped his pen against the desk. "Wow, really? Glad to get your approval. I can't take credit for it though, it's Alice's idea."

Silence fell between the three and Alice was struck by the awkwardness she always felt when Jack and Hatter were in the same room together.

"So..." she said, trying to break the tension. "You wanted to tell me something?"

"Yes, I wanted to tell you that we got the Looking Glass working again. The technicians have one more series of tests to do before we can begin sending Oysters back. They just have to synchronize the time between the mirrors. Once that's done you can go home whenever you like."

Her heart leapt in her chest. The mirror was working. All the worry she'd been burying down inside herself suddenly evaporated. She could go home and see her mother again.

"That's brilliant," Hatter said, walking toward them, casting a dimpled smile at her. "No more worries, luv, everything is going to be fine."

Now, suddenly everything wasn't fine and there seemed to be everything to worry about. Her fear of never getting home had dwarfed her other concerns and doubts. Now that it was gone, all her other fears seemed to be fighting for attention in her mind. Now that the mirror was working aging, that fact didn't seem nearly as important as whether or not it was going to _stay_ open.

She looked up at Jack. "What have you decided, about keeping the Looking Glass open?"

He cleared his throat . "Once we've finished sending all the Oysters home, the Looking Glass will remain open for three months and then I'm going to close it for good. It will be opened just long enough to contact the remaining Resistance members in your world and give them the option of staying or returning."

"Three months?" She asked, the words leaving her in a breath she didn't know she was holding. "That's not enough time."

Hatter tilted his head looking at her. "Time for what?"

She had avoided asking him what they were going to do once the mirror started working again. Now she had no choice. "To decide what we're going to do." She turned to Jack. "Can't you extend it?"

Jacks brow furrowed in confusion. "No, I'm sorry, I can't. Three months is all the Resistance would agree too." He looked back and forth between the two before addressing Hatter. "Are you planing on following her?"

Hatter didn't even hesitate with his answer. "Course I am. Why would I stay here without Alice?"

She looked at him, eyes wide in surprise. "Hatter?"

Jack stepped back from the pair. "I can see you two have quite a bit to talk about. Alice, I'll send Nine to tell you when the mirror is up and running. Be sure you come and see me before you leave Wonderland. You too Hatter, if you decide to go." Jack's voice was barely registering in her mind anymore. "I'll just... see myself out."

Jack left and Hatter closed the space between them. "Alice, what's the matter? If Jack's going to close the mirror then we'll just go back to your world."

Alice couldn't believe he was taking this so casually. "Hatter, this is serious, you won't be able to come back to Wonderland."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, I get that. Still not seeing the problem."

She threw her hands up. "What about your life here? What about the Tea House and your apartment, your friends? You're just going to give all that up and follow me?"

"That's the plan."

"What about the bar?" She asked, gesturing towards the former Trade Room. "Why would you start a new business if you were just going to leave it behind?"

He reached out and grabbed her arms, pulling her closer. "I had to get money flowing again, Alice. We didn't know how long it would be before the mirror was fixed. I needed a way to take care of you. It doesn't matter anymore, I'll just sell the shop to Dormie."

She rubbed her eyes, trying to regain some measure of control over her own emotions. "I can't let you do that. We've only known each other a week. That's way too soon to make any life changing decisions for the other's sake."

He turned away from her and strode over to his desk. He leaned back against the desk, bracing himself against the glass. "What did you think I was doing all this time, playing house with you? Did you think that after everything we've been through, I wouldn't take a risk to be with you? I love you, Alice."

She shook her head. "How could you love me? You don't even know me. Everything is new between us now, but once you get to know me, you may not even like me."

"Alice?"

"This is too soon. This is big, Hatter, what you're talking about is a commitment. You can't make a decision like this overnight."

He yanked his hat off and started fingering the brim with his right hand. "Oh really? You charged headfirst into the Heart's Casino, into what was almost certain death, for a man you knew two months. How is this any different? You could take a chance on Jack, but you won't take one with me?"

"That's not it."

He pushed away from the desk and was quickly in front of her. "Then what?"

She looked down at her hands, unable to meet his eyes.

He nodded his head knowingly. "You don't love me, do you?"

She could hear his breath hitch in his throat when he spoke and knew he was hurting because of her. She couldn't say it, no matter what she felt, she just couldn't say it. It was too soon. She hated this but she couldn't lie to him. She knew she was taking too long with her response but her mouth had gone dry and it was hard to speak.

"I like you... a lot."

She heard him take a sharp intake of breath. "Oh you do, do ya?"

She finally found the courage to look up at him and what she saw made her stomach turn. His face was set in hard lines of anger but his eyes reflected the pain she had caused him.

"I, I... do, I really like you. It's just that..."

Before she could finish he pushed past her. "No! I'm not doing this again."

He threw the office door open so hard it slammed against the wall. A few of the workers looked up and watched as he quickly strode towards the front door.

"Hatter!" Alice rushed after him and caught his arm. "Please stop!"

He yanked his arm away from her and whipped around to face her. He leaned down so his face was inches away from hers.

"Leave me alone, Oyster!"

The way he said 'Oyster' reminded her of how Dodo spat the word out, like she was some kind of monster.

She was too shocked to follow him as he left the Tea House. She just stood there in the middle of all the construction. The workers had all stopped what they were doing and stared at her until Dormie yelled at them to get back to work.

Dormie tentatively approached her. "Alice? What happened? Why did Hatter leave like that?"

He left because she was an idiot. Because she always screwed up relationships no matter how much she wanted them to work. She knew this was too good to be true, that it wouldn't last. Hatter meant the world to her and she trusted him completely. Yet she still couldn't stop herself from pushing him away until he left her.

She looked down at Dormie. "I screwed up."

She hurried back into Hatter's office, she didn't want anyone to see when she broke down into tears moments later.

She stayed there, until she heard the workers leave. She was about to get up and go upstairs when there was a knock at the door. The door opened and Dormie peeked his head in.

"Alice? You still here?"

"Yeah Dormie, I'm here." She slowly stood up and hoped she didn't look too cried out.

Apparently she looked worse than she thought because Dormie's eyes were filled with concern. "I was just wondering if you needed anything before I left for the night?"

She sniffed and wiped at her face. "No, I'm fine, thank you."

Dormie nodded and turned to leave. He got to the door before he stopped and turned back. "Ya know Alice, Hatter's really very forgiving. I mean, he gets mad at me all the time but he still keeps me around. I'm sure he'll come back soon and apologize for yelling at ya."

"I don't think it's that simple, Dormie."

The little man smiled up at Alice. "Course it is. If Hatter can forgive me, then there's no way he can stay mad at you. He's crazy about ya after all. He'll forgive ya, you'll see. Don't worry your pretty little head about it."

Dormie left and Alice went up to the apartment. She figured she should probably eat something but her stomach was so twisted up with guilt and worry, she just couldn't stand the idea of food. Instead she got ready for bed. She stayed up for a few more hours, just lying on the couch thinking and waiting for Hatter to get home.

She replayed their argument over and over again in her head. Each time she ended up feeling worse about what she had said. The hurt she saw in his eyes haunted her and his angry words hurt more every time she remembered them. Hatter had never yelled at her before and up until today she didn't think he ever would. Even when they had argued in the past he never raised his voice like that. His words were never laced with venom like they had been today. She'd pushed him to far. This was all her fault.

She could have handled things so much better then how she did. She'd let panic grip her and had reacted more harshly than she should have. If she had been thinking clearly they could have sat down and talked about it. If she had been more calm Hatter never would have walked out on her. In fact, he probably would have talked her into believing everything would be fine and remind her she should just trust him.

That was the thing, Hatter seemed to be able to talk her into anything. If she gave him enough time he would convince her she was wrong but she knew she had a point. They'd only known each other for a week now. Well technically eight days, but it didn't matter. There was no such thing as love at first sight. That nonsense was for fairy tales and kid's stories. As Hatter pointed out the day then met, this was not a kid's story.

She cared for Hatter deeply but she couldn't call it love. They hardly even knew each other. Every day they learned more about one another. It was one of the things she liked about their relationship: Hatter was unlike anyone she ever met and every day she learned something new about him. She knew it took years before you got to know a person well enough to even think about spending the rest of your life with them.

That's what this was all about. If Hatter came to her world, and decided to stay after the mirror was shut down, it would be because he wanted to be with her permanently. That was a huge commitment. She had never had a boyfriend who she even imagined marrying, let alone one she'd only just met. Three months was simply not enough time.

He thought he loved her, but he didn't. He couldn't. By the time he figured that out, it would be too late and he would come to resent her for trapping him in her world. From experience, she knew resentment quickly turned to hate. The thought that Hatter could ever hate her brought another round of tears. She could deal with him not loving her, but she didn't know what she would do if he ever hated her.

He had no clue who she really was. He thought she was some savior of Wonderland, a girl who was willing to sacrifice herself to save someone she cared for. The truth was, she did most of that out of guilt. There was no noble reason behind her actions. Most of the time she had just gotten lucky, and things worked out in her favor. She was just trying to fix the mess she'd made. Hatter was smitten with her but he had only seen her at her best, when she was the most willing to make things happen and fight for what she wanted. He had no idea how much she didn't want to do the things she had. He didn't know how many times in the past she'd simply given up because something had been too hard.

When they went back to her world, she really would be just Alice again. She'd have work and school and her whole life to deal with. Hatter wouldn't have anyone but her, he'd be completely dependent on her. Not only for knowledge, but for companionship. She'd be the only person he knew in the world, literally. When he spent enough time alone with her, with no one else to divert his attention from her flaws, he'd see her for who she really was. He'd see how messed up she was, that she wasn't _who_ he thought she was.

For her part she _knew_ things with him wouldn't stay the same and she accepted that. He was doting on her now, finding little ways to make her happy and giving her anything she asked for. He couldn't possibly be this sweet and loving all the time; no one could. Eventually he'd shake the need to care for her and all this sweet romance would end. She was ok with that, it was nice but she didn't need it. She'd lived without romance for a long time now, and she could do it again. She'd never dated anyone who paid attention to her the way Hatter did. When he stopped, she'd be ok with that. She just didn't know if Hatter would be ok with her, if she wasn't what he expected..

She fell asleep curled up on the couch. Hours latter when she woke, the apartment was still exactly how she left it. She went down to his office to see if he was there and found it empty. Hatter had not come back yet, maybe he wasn't going to come home at all tonight. Where else would he go? Maybe he went to stay with Lettie. She wished she had a way to get a hold of him.

God, she'd chased him out of his own home.

She went back upstairs and surveyed the empty apartment. She couldn't bring herself to sleep in the bed they shared. She took a pillow and blanket and went to the couch. She wrapped the blanket around her, and hoped that when she woke up Hatter would be home.

_A/N_

_Well, it cant be sunshine and rainbows forever. I'm sure they'll work it out somehow. _

_If this chapter has you feeling down, I have a new one-shot posted in my story Bliss. I also wrote my fist smut fic called Belonging. Both are filled with fluffy goodness to get you through these rough times. _

_Thank you for the reviews last chapter, don't forget to leave one for this. Even angst deserves some love. _


	18. Emotional Repression part 1

Emotional Repression part 1

Alice woke up in the early hours of the morning. She looked over at the bed and was disappointed to find it empty. She didn't bother dressing and immediately headed down to his office. She again hoped to find him there, maybe he'd slept on the couch. His office was empty and looked untouched from the night before. He hadn't come home at all.

This was insane. How angry could he have been to not want to come home. It wasn't like him and she began to worry that something had happened to him. She'd give him a few more hours before she went out to look for him. The question was where to look. Lettie would be her first stop. If he wasn't there with her, than maybe she would know where he might have gone.

Time seemed to drag on as she waited. She tried to busy herself with showering and getting ready for the day. She opened the closet to find something to wear and her heart sank at the sight of his clothes next to hers.

It was a ridiculous thing to get emotional over but she couldn't help but think that where ever he was, he was still dressed from the day before. Hatter hated wearing the same clothes for more than one day. He'd told her that one of the things that drove him crazy during their little adventure had been the fact that he hadn't changed clothes or bathed in almost three days.

She quickly picked an outfit and then looked for a coat. She reached for the purple coat but quickly changed her mind and chose a light fleece sweater instead. She had to get out of his apartment.

She went downstairs and into his office. She was about to leave a note saying where she had gone, when she heard the front door open. She dropped the pen and paper and hurried out to the Trade Room, hoping to find Hatter there. Instead, she was greeted by Dormie.

"Morning, Alice. Hatter in his office?"

"No. He hasn't come back yet."

"Oh, that's strange."

"Dormie, do you know where he might have gone?"

He scratched his head, clearly confused. "I don't know, Hatter really doesn't tell me that kind of stuff. He could be anywhere really."

She walked past him. "Well, I'm going to go look for him."

Dormie quickly scurried around her and put his hands on her knees, trying to push her back."Whoa, hold on, you can't leave."

"I'm not just going to sit here while Hatter's god knows where."

Fear lingered in the little mans eyes."You don't understand. He's angry with you now, but once he cools down, he's going to come back. If you're not _here_, he's going to blame me for letting you wander around the city alone. He'll kill me, Alice."

She tried to leave and again he pushed her back. "Please, Alice, just stay here."

She knelt down to looked him in the eyes. "Look, you stay here, and if he comes back, tell Hatter that I went to look for him. If he yells at you for letting me go, just tell him I threatened to hurt you if you wouldn't let me leave. "

Whether Dormie knew she could really hurt him if she wanted to, or if he just gave up trying to stop her, he did step out of her way. She headed out and went the way Hatter had taken her down to the Lower city.

Walking alone compounded her fear of heights but she pushed pass them as best she could. She was actually doing really well, until she had to walk along the very narrow walkway that lead to the staircase building. There were no buildings across from this block, instead it was a completely open view of the lake, many stories below.

She told herself it was all right, that she had done this before and she could do it again. She faced the wall, trying to block out the view of the huge drop right behind her. Her hands followed along with the building as she walked. There was nothing she could get a grip on if she fell, but the stone under her fingers was reassuring. When she reached the end of the walk, she was shaking with fear.

She ran the last few steps into the staircase building and quickly hurried down, the need to be on solid ground was overwhelming. By the time her feet hit grass and dirt, she wanted to drop to her knees and kiss the ground. If it hadn't been for the couple chatting in the corner of the ally, she just might have. Instead, she stepped out of the alley and started toward Lettie's.

The lower city was busy as usual. It was still early so she didn't have to worry too much about her safety. She did keep her eyes open though, constantly glancing around her and looking into the narrow spaces between the buildings, just to be sure no one was following her. It would have been nice to have an extra set of eyes down here, to know someone would have her back if she ran into trouble. She realized just how much she had grown accustomed to Hatter being with her. She missed the weight of his arm around her shoulders. She really just missed him.

She pushed the door open to Lettie's shop, her presence announced by the ringing bell. She didn't have to wait long for a response. Rose was in the lobby, watering the plants scattered around the room.

"Alice!" The red head exclaimed, crossing the room and wrapping her in a hug. Her hair curled in a clear sign of excitement. "Welcome back!"

"Rose, is Hatter here?"

"No, I haven't seen him since the day before last. He came to talk to Lettie, he said something about waiting for the electronic shop to fix something of his. I didn't stick around, I have better things to do then sit with Hatter."

He wasn't here. Her hopes fell, she honestly had no idea where else to look for him. The city was enormous and she'd only seen a small portion of it. She imagined there were a lot of people who owed Hatter favors, it would have been an easy thing to find a place to stay.

Rose's hair slowly went limp around her shoulders. "Did something happen to him? Don't _you_ know where he is?"

Alice shook her head. "No, we had a fight yesterday and he walked out. He never came back and I'm worried about him."

Rose stomped her foot and her hair frizzed in anger. "Why should you worry about him? If he walked away from you, then he's the one at fault. How dare he make you worry. He's probably _trying_ to make you worry. He wants _you_ to feel guilty, so that when he does come back, you apologize to him."

Alice pressed her palms into her eyes in an attempt to stop tears from escaping. Crying was not going to solve any of her problems and she didn't want to do this in front of Rose. Rose thought Hatter was the one at fault here, she probably wouldn't except the fact that the fight had been caused by her.

"No, he's not. It's my fault." Despite her efforts to stop them, tears fell down her cheeks.

Rose opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. She grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her into the back of the shop

"Lettie!" Rose called out.

They reached the work room where Lettie was seated at the back table working at the sewing machine. She looked up at the sound of her name, a small number of dress pins pressed between her lips, prevented her from speaking. She quickly pulled them from her mouth and set them on the table.

"Alice, what's wrong?"

"That rotter had a fight with her, thats what's wrong. Look what he's done, he's made her cry. I told you he'd only hurt her."

Lettie set aside her work and approached Alice. She placed a hand at the small of Alice's back and led her to the table. "Now Rose, I'm sure you are exaggerating. All lovers have tiffs."

They all sat down at the table and Alice couldn't help but feel embarrassed by her own display of emotions. She hadn't expected to react so strongly to talking about her situation.

She quickly wiped the tear stains from her face. "It was a little more than a tiff. I think I really hurt him. He didn't come home last night, I was hoping he was here with you."

Lettie shook her head. "No, he wouldn't come here. It's been a long time since Hatters confided in me about his personal relationships. I don't think he liked the advice I gave him last time. You know how men get when they don't want to face the truth, fingers in the ears and all. I'd guess it's his pride, he probably thinks he can fix things on his own."

Lettie placed her hand on top of Alice's. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Lettie was an easy person to open up to. You could tell by the sympathy and earnestness in her bright blue eyes she truly did care about others. Alice told her about everything, the Looking Glass, her fears, Hatter wanting to follow her, his yelling at her, all of it.

Rose had listened intently while Alice spoke. Her hair was completely flat and Alice didn't know what to make of that. "Doesn't matter if he was mad at you. He shouldn't have shrugged you off and called you an Oyster like that."

Lettie leaned back in her chair. "Ay me! You two are quite the pair. You're both ridiculous."

Honestly, she had expected Lettie to be more understanding, maybe even offer her advice or sympathy. She hadn't expected Lettie to ridicule her. "Ridiculous?"

Lettie laughed, actually laughed at Alice's surprise. "Oh, of course. Here he's trying everything he can think of to stay with you, and you are pushing him away. You're pushing him away, because you think he won't want to stay with you. It's madness if I've ever heard of it. Keep this up and you two will spend forever chasing each other, like a dog after his tail."

Rose slapped her hand on the table. "He's being impossible! How dare he expect her to return his feelings so soon! She clearly doesn't feel that way about him. He's just angry because he can't control what she feels, and he can't have his way."

"Well, it's not that I don't feel... strongly about him. It's just..." She looked at Lettie, imploring the older woman to help her. "Don't you think it's too soon? How could I ask him to take a chance like that for me?"

Lettie looked down thoughtfully at her hands. Alice noticed she was running her fingers over a plain gold band on her left hand. It must be her wedding ring. Even though James had been dead for years, she still wore it.

"Did Hatter tell you... about where we come from?"

"Lettie," Rose whispered, "You shouldn't speak of that."

Lettie shook her head. "No, she needs to know." Lettie looked to Alice again. "Did he tell you, where we grew up?"

Alice realized what Lettie was telling her. "You both came from the White Side?"

Rose stood up, her face had paled a bit at the mention of the White Side. "I'm going to close the shop, that door needs to be locked. This is all making me nervous." She left the work room and headed to the front.

Lettie nodded in approval as the young woman left. "Hatter, James and I all came from the White Side. James and I ran away and Hatter followed us."

That was another question she had been avoiding. She hadn't asked Hatter why he left the White Side because she didn't want to upset him. He always tensed when the White Side was mentioned and she knew he didn't want to talk about it. But she did want to know. There had to be a reason why he would leave his own side to join another where his kind were so hated.

"Why? Why would you run away to the Red Side when no one here would ever accept you?"

"We had no choice." Lettie sighed. "I was betrothed to Hatter's brother Kenneth. It was a decision made by our parents when I was born. Hatter's father owned a textile mill and my father owned a clothing shop, it was a way to join the businesses together. I grew up knowing I would marry him. It was a fact in my life, I never had a choice. I was sixteen, almost seventeen, when I met James."

Rose had joined them back at the table and both girls were listening intently to Lettie's story.

Lettie took on a dreamy look as she talked about James. "He always said that he fell in love with me the moment he saw me. I wasn't so convinced. In fact, I slapped him the first time he asked me out."

Rose laughed, clearly amused by that fact of the story.

Lettie smiled and continued. "Well, I was insulted, I was engaged to be married after all. It didn't detour him any, if there was one thing James never did, it was give up. He perused me relentlessly, flowers, love letters, candy. Finally I gave in and told him I would go out with him once, and made him swear that if I didn't want anything to do with him after that he'd leave me alone."

Alice didn't know how this was going to answer her question, but she was extremely interested in Lettie's story and these facts she knew nothing about. "You obviously changed your mind about him."

Lettie smiled. "Yes, he was a charmer. If you ever wondered where Hatter got those people skills of his, believe me when I tell you, he learned it all from James."

"You mean his skills as a con man." Rose interjected. "That's what Hatter does, he cons people."

"_Persuade_." Lettie corrected. "Both my boys are good at persuading people."

Lettie continued. "So I fell for him. We'd sneak out in the evenings to see each other, away from my mother's watchful eye. I'd never known love before and it consumed me wholly. I thought of nothing but James and counted the minutes till we would be together again. For a few weeks, we carried on in blissful defiance of my family. Then Kenneth found out."

Alice hadn't even known Hatter had a brother. She wondered what was so bad about Kenneth that Hatter would side with James rather than his own brother.

"What happened?"

"Oh like everything else, Kenneth hid behind his father. You'll never meet him, but Hatter's father was a horrible man. He controlled his whole family and didn't like anything that went against his plans. He was so cold, you'd think he was Red Side born."

Alice looked over at Rose. The girl seemed to catch on to what Alice was thinking. "I'm not insulted. I'm Red Side born but the sickness that caused this," she said pointing to her hair. "Also effects my emotions. Lettie says I'm more like a White Sider than Red. I don't like Red Siders anyway, considering how they treat Flowers."

Lettie nodded and continued. "When they found out about James and I, my father forbid us from seeing each other. Worse yet, they convinced the local judge to allow Kenneth and I to marry, even though I was five months away from being seventeen. Three days before I was to marry Kenneth, James and I ran away."

Alice, was a fact minded kind of girl. Lettie was telling her this story because she and James had only known each other a few weeks before they ran away together. She expected the moral of this whole tale was going to be 'follow your heart' or something like that. She pushed that thought out of her mind, just because it worked out for Lettie didn't mean it would work out for her. Besides, she'd already followed _a Heart_ once, look at the trouble that had gotten her into.

More important than morals was the fact that she was finally going to get some answers about the White Side and why Hatter left there. She didn't know if Hatter would ever tell her about his past, so she was going to get as many answers out of Lettie as she could.

"Hatter followed you. How did he know you were running away?"

"I told him. I couldn't leave without saying goodbye. I have no other siblings and Hatter was like my little brother. He was his mother's shadow growing up, he would come with her when she and my mother had tea. We used to play together for hours while our mothers talked."

"Why did Hatter follow you?"

"That is a good question, I'd like to know the answer myself. Whenever I ask him, he always just smiles and says it's because he would have missed me, and because no one could make clothes like I can."

Both women laughed at that, Rose just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's always about clothes with him. Stupid git."

"No, that's just what he says to avoid telling me the truth." Lettie paused, seemingly collecting her thoughts, trying to come up with a way to answer her question.

"The night we were leaving, James tried to talk him into going back home. Hatter was only thirteen and James didn't think he could make a decision like that at such a young age. James told him that there'd be no coming back. He tried to tell him how difficult life would be on the Red Side, that we'd have no family and no friends, no home, we'd only have each other. Hatter insisted that his life was going to be better anywhere but home. He also didn't know James very well and said he didn't trust him to take care of me."

Lettie looked directly at Alice. "Sound familiar?"

It did. Alice realized that that situation was similar to the one Hatter was in now. He'd been willing to leave his life on the White Side to start a new one on the Red. Now he was willing to leave Wonderland all together and follow her to her world.

"I don't know the real reason why he left with us. I suspect it had something to do with his father, who never was found of Hatter. They had a very strained relationship. By the time we made it to the Red Side, he'd already decided to leave his entire life behind." Lettie leaned towards Alice, a sly smile on her face. "Do you know why he's called Hatter?"

Alice thought back to the line he fed her in the Tea House. "Because he's always there when they passed the hat?"

Lettie waved the statement off. "No, that's a lie. He just says that when he's trying to impress women. James gave him the name Hatter because he wanted a new one. He left the White Side to follow us and he did it whole heartedly. I've never once heard him lament leaving, or make wishes that he could go back. Now, after everything that has happened and meeting you, I'm sure he could never regret it. "

Alice thought over what Lettie had told her. It was a wonderful story, probably the most romantic one she had ever heard. But that was Lettie's life, not hers.

She looked up to find that Lettie was patiently waiting for her to comment.

"I just don't want either of us to make the wrong choice."

"Well, the way I see it, you have two options. If Hatter means enough to you, if you really care for him, then you'll just trust that he's made the right choice and stop fighting him. Or, you can just go your separate ways. I mean, if you are not willing to take a chance then maybe your feelings just aren't that deep. There's nothing wrong with that, we all become infatuated with people from time to time. Just let him down gently, go back to your world, and forget about him."

Alice's stomach clenched uncomfortably. She didn't want to leave Hatter and she sure as hell never wanted to forget him. It finally dawned on her that there was no other option then them both going back to her world. No matter how she felt about it, there was no other way for them to be together. If Hatter wanted to follow her and was willing to give up everything for her, than the least she could do was accept that and support him.

Across the table Rose huffed. "Love is overrated and complicated. I'm glad I'll never have to deal with that."

Lettie folded her hands and rested her chin on them. "Oh, that's not true. One day, you'll meet a man who finds you adorable, loves your sarcastic whit, and longs to take your unique brand of abuse."

Rose stuck her tong out at Lettie, her hair falling in playful waves around her shoulders. "That's something Hatter would say. You've been hanging around him too much, he's beginning to rub off on you."

Alice got up from the table. "I'd better get going."

Lettie stood with her and pulled her into a hug. "Whatever you decide, go easy on him. He acts tough but he really isn't."

"I know, and I will."

Alice left the shop and headed back towards the Upper Level. Halfway toward the staircase building, the sky opened up and rain poured down. She walked as close to the buildings as she could, taking cover under overhanging roofs and the occasional awning. She managed to avoid the worst of the storm and was only slightly damp when she entered the staircase building.

She reached the top of the stairs and realized that there would be no shelter from the rain between here and the Tea House. She stayed in the doorway for awhile, waiting to see if the rain would let up a bit. While she waited, she thought about Lettie and James and the risk they had taken to be with one another. She had no doubt that if James had lived, he and Lettie would still be together. Theirs was one of those rare cases of true love, the kind every girl secretly hoped for.

The rain wasn't letting up and she decided she didn't want to wait anymore. Stepping away from the doorway, she began walking back towards home. She thought about Hatter and wondered if he'd even come back to the Tea House yet. She didn't know what she was going to do if he still wasn't home. Maybe she'd make Dormie tell her of more places Hatter might have gone to. She was sure with a little persuasion he could think of a few places she could look.

She started down the narrow walkway and didn't even stop to think of where she was walking. From the opposite direction two young children came running down the walkway followed by an older woman. The trio had obviously been caught unawares by the storm and were heading towards the shelter of the staircase building. Alice stepped aside, letting the children run by and nodded politely to the woman as she hurried past. As she watched the three disappear into the building, she suddenly realized that to allow them to pass, she had moved to the very edge of the drop off. She moved quickly to press her back against the wall, causing her to look out over the expanse. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for her fear to take over.

Unexpectedly, her fear never seized her. There was no spinning, or loss of breath, no pounding of her heart or sickness in her stomach. For the first time in for as long as she could remember, she didn't feel terrified by how high she was. It was an odd feeling, the absence of fear. She stepped away from the wall and walked tentatively towards the ledge of the street. She looked down and waited for the sick rush of vertigo to take over but it never came.

Down below the city gave way to the bank of the great lake. The water lapped against the shore and whipped about with the wind and the rain. Layers of gray clouds sailed quickly across the sky, constantly changing shape in the stormy wind. Across the lake, spanning into forever, was the forest. Hidden in it's depths were the Kingdom of the Knights, Jabberwocky, and other beast of Wonderland. The tall trees reached towards the sky, as if they were reaching out towards the rain, trying to touch the clouds. She'd never see anything so beautiful.

She didn't know if she was really over her fear of heights or not, but in this moment she was free. For the first time, she took in the city around her. The land, the lake, the sky, all of it. It was amazing. The towering buildings stretching countless stories high soring over the Lower City, the bridges that spanned between them, connecting it all into one large mass. It was all new to her eyes and beyond anything she could ever dream up.

This was what she had been missing all those years. Every time she'd lowered her eyes or looked away from a high place or a drop off, afraid of what she might see or might feel. It was these views and this sense of wonder that had been kept from her and she was sad she missed it. She'd never allowed herself to look out over New York, never went up the high buildings and looked out over the skyline. She wanted to know what the sunset looked like from the Empire State building. What did the ocean look like from the Statue of Liberty? When she got home, she would find out, no more wasting time. No more being afraid.

If he was home, if she could find Hatter, she wanted to share this with him. He'd be happy with her, and maybe even proud. She wasn't sure why her fear had left her but she wasn't going to take it for granted.

She rushed off towards the Tea House. She was cold and wet and still worried about Hatter, but she was no longer afraid.

_A/N_

_Thank so much for the reviews last chapter. Way more reviews than I'm used to, that makes me happy! And thank you to everyone who read Bliss and Belonging!_

_I think Alice excepts her fear of heights but never even acknowledged her fear of commitment. So I tried to express her overcoming her commitment issues through her overcoming her fear of heights. If that makes any sense. She not completely over her fear yet, but she'll be more willing to sit down with Hatter when the time comes and talk things out. _

_Speaking of Hatter, the next chapter will show just what he's been doing all this time. _

_Some recommended reading, Some Sort of Fairy Tale by candyflavordlies. _


	19. Emotional repression part 2

_A/N _

_This chapter takes place directly after Hatter walked out on Alice._

Emotional repression part 2

Hatter walked for hours, having no destination in mind. He realized at some point that he'd made his way up to the highest levels of the city. He was trying to escape Alice, and unconsciously, he had chosen to go to the one place she would never follow.

There weren't many people who came up this high. Not even the ever-encroaching foliage grew at this height. The buildings up here were used mostly for maintenance and storage. He sank against the sun-drenched exterior of the building, his head resting against the warm brick.

He couldn't understand how things had turned around so quickly. This morning they'd been happy and the night before hadn't been anything that would anger her. She hadn't given him any indication before this that she was unhappy with how their relationship was progressing.

He knew she was worried about the mirror working but he had no clue how she felt about actually going home. How long had she been thinking about this without saying anything? She'd never mentioned it and he'd been too busy trying to get his business running again to really give it any thought.

How the hell could he have been such an idiot? All this time he'd never asked her about her feelings for him. He'd been sure she felt the same way. As unbelievable as it was, she'd chosen him over a prince and that had to count for something. She smiled at him, touched him and made advances at him. She wasn't the type of girl to just do those things without meaning behind them.

"_I like you, a lot." _He huffed, remembering her words. It couldn't have hurt more if she'd reached into his chest and crushed his heart between her tiny little fingers.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He'd always been good at controlling his emotions, it was a skill born of necessity. Living on the Red Side, it didn't pay to be overly emotional. He needed to stop thinking with his heart and start thinking with his head. He had to push his anger and feelings of rejection aside. After all, she wasn't _completely_ rejecting him. So she didn't love him, but 'like' was... ok. It wasn't what he wanted, but something he could accept.

In fact, 'like' was something he was used to. Red Side woman weren't that into love. Well, not unless it came from a bottle. Love was seen as a messy emotion when sought out the natural way and usually came with as many bad feelings as it did good. The general consensus was that Love was best had diluted with a few added drops of Bliss and Optimism. That mixture had been one of his best sellers.

He'd dated lots of girls in his time and he always fancied himself as quite the charmer. Most of them had meant nothing, pretty faces to share his company and pass the time. There had only been a few he'd really cared for. Hindsight being what it was, he could clearly see how those relationship never would have worked. Lettie had warned him that Red Side woman might never be able to return his feelings.

"_They just don't feel the way we do. They might say they love you, but it might not be the same as what you're feeling for them."_

He'd been young and hadn't really understood what she was trying to warn him against. It wasn't until the first time he'd had his heart broken that he truly understood what she meant. Red Siders could feel love but nowhere near as deep as he could. Because the emotion was so shallow, they didn't put value on it. Here, you stayed with someone because of what that person could provide for you, not for love. Money, power, food, shelter: those were all things you looked for in a potential partner. If you found someone who met your needs, you stuck with them until they got rid of you. It was that simple and it had nothing to do with love.

He could make money and he could buy a girl whatever she desired but he could never make her love him. When he was younger, it didn't really matter. Money bought him a good time and attracted pretty girls. As he grew older he found himself longing for companionship more than any physical desires he had. He wanted what Lettie and James had, that undying connection and loyalty they shared.

Each time he'd begin to care for a woman he'd think that maybe this time, things would be different. They never were. He always got his hopes up just to have them come crashing down. He'd find out through words or, more painfully through betrayal, that his feelings were never returned.

When Tea came out it was like a miracle. Emotions in a bottle had sounded too good to be true. He had to try it for himself. Bliss and Excitement had been the first emotions put out by the Queen. He'd tried Excitement and it felt like electricity flowing through his veins. It was how he felt when a big risk paid off, or whenever an opportunity presented it's self and he knew he could make it work for him. That's what it felt like.

If Red Siders couldn't feel as deeply as he did naturally, then this Tea could make them feel it. He'd felt like a child again and the first person he wanted to share this with was Lettie.

_He entered the shop and quickly headed toward the back. The little red-headed Flower Girl Lettie hired a few weeks ago looked up from her spot at the work table. She was nice enough, if not a little quiet. He wished she'd talk more. _

_He smiled and tipped his hat in greeting. "Morning Rose, things going well for you I hope."_

_She only nodded in reply and looked back to Lettie. _

_Lettie seemed to sense the girl's unease. "Rose dear, would you go and make us some tea?"_

_Again, the girl only nodded before hurrying out of the room._

_He watched her leave. "Does she ever talk?"_

_Lettie cleared away the fabric she'd been working with, and invited him to join her at the table. "Of course she does. I think you intimidate her a bit. I don't think she's used to being in the company of men. You know how the Queen is."_

_He reached his hand into his pocket and fingered the small glass vial inside. "Speaking of the Queen, have you heard what she's done?"_

_She looked thoughtful for a moment. "You mean besides the three beheadings last week? No I can't think of anything she might have done that would get you this excited."_

"_That's exactly it." He pulled the little bottle of Excitement from his pocket and set it on the table before her._

_Lettie stared down at the pink liquid. "What is it?"_

"_This," he said, snatching the bottle back up and shaking it slightly as he spoke. "Is Tea. Excitement in a bottle. It's like opening gifts on your birthday and getting everything you asked for. It's like if every dream you had suddenly came true all at once, that's what it feels like."_

_He'd expected Lettie to find all this as interesting as he did. By the uncertain look on her face, he guessed he'd been mistaken. _

"_What is it made of?"_

_Tea was a miracle, and the ins and outs of how it was made were irrelevant. "Haven't a clue. You know the Queen employs the brightest minds in the kingdom, I'm sure it's something they cooked up. The bloke who sold it to me said they are making more. It's just Excitement and Bliss right now, but soon, they'll have more feelings to offer."_

_He unscrewed the top of the bottle and handed her the open container. "Take a small sip."_

_She pushed his hand and the Tea away. "No. You've taken some of this, haven't you? That's why you're all mimsy."_

"_Yes, yes, and its amazing. Think of it, Lettie, if it makes me feel this way, think of what it will do..." he looked the way Rose had left, making sure she wasn't around to hear their conversation. "To them. They'll be no more barriers between us and Red Siders. Finally, they can feel like we can. It's amazing!"_

_She shook her head. "No, no it's not." She pointed down at the bottle he held. "That's not real. It's only messing with your mind and heart, it's falseness."_

"_Falseness? What falseness? It just enhances emotions, and you and I both know that these people can't feel. They think they can, but honestly, they can't. What they feel are whispers compared to our feelings. It's like their emotions are stunted, like they can't completely feel what they need to. All Tea does is help and enhance things so they can truly experience emotions like they should. It makes things equal."_

_Lettie got up from the table and began to pace back and forth before him. "What does the Queen know of equality?"_

"_She's doing something great for once, she wants to help her people. Bless the Queen for coming up with this!"_

"_NO! Please Hatter, look at how this has already blinded you. She has no good intentions. There's something to this Hatter."_

_He stood and grabbed her hand to stop her from moving. "Lettie please, give this time. You'll see, this is going to change everything."_

He'd been right about one thing: Tea truly did change everything.

It turned out that Tea didn't enhance anything. While he had a long lasting high from Tea, Red Siders only felt emotions for a few moments before things dulled once more for them. It left them with a thirst they could never quench. They wanted to feel emotions on that level but, without Tea, were incapable of doing so.

He'd come to realize what a cruel tease it was. Tea literally let people taste, for a few brief moments, what they could never have. What's more, once people became addicted to Tea, they stopped trying to feel on their own. He'd seen families torn apart, people who were happy with what they had suddenly wanted to chase after something more and found no happiness in their everyday lives. They longed for the highs, the thrills, and the emotional pleasure Tea delivered.

The world around him started to crumble and as long as the Tea kept flowing, no one seemed to care.

He didn't like what Tea did to people, but it was a good business to be in. Honestly, there was profit to be made in the buying and selling of Tea. If he didn't do it, someone else would, so why should he feel bad about taking advantage of the situation? His gift with words and his ability to naturally feel emotions deeper than Red Siders made him an extremely successful dealer. It was easy to spin words around people's heads and convince them that they needed whatever emotion it was he was selling.

Then he'd found out where Tea came from. He'd been working as a trader in the very building he now owned. He'd overheard a conversation with a Club and the owner of the Tea House. The Club was a high number, a Seven or an Eight if he recalled correctly, and a massive Tea head. When he began eavesdropping on their conversation, he'd hoped to get an inside knowledge of what Teas would be coming on the market. Instead, he learned the sick truth about how the Queen made Tea.

Oysters, people from the other side of the Looking Glass, were kidnapped, taken to the Casino, and drained of emotions. The Club talked so casually about it, like those people were animals being used and sucked dry of every ounce of life in their bodies.

Oysters and White Siders were similar in their emotions. The disturbing thought occurred to him that he could be hooked up in the Casino and drained just as easily. His stomach twisted and he felt the bile rise in his throat. He'd left his table in a hurry, exiting the Tea House and immediately throwing up on the ground outside. Every emotion he'd drank, every Tea he'd tasted, had been made from a living person.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to find one of his fellow traders, a man called Sparrow.

Sparrow took him away from the Tea House and into one of the lesser used buildings. That was when he learned of the Resistance. There were already a growing number of people who wanted to fix the damage the Queen was doing. They wanted to end the use of Tea and stop the abduction of Oysters.

Sparrow had been working as a seller to gain knowledge of Tea shipments and other information the Resistance needed. He knew Hatter had been listening to the same conversation he was and took Hatter's sickness at the information as a sign that he might also wish to join the Resistance. He hadn't needed long to think about it and joined the Resistance soon afterward. He hadn't used Tea since.

He'd become so wrapped in his memories that he hadn't noticed the sun set or the evening lights of the city come on. It was late now and he wondered if Alice was worried about him. He knew he should go back and face whatever punishment she had waiting for him. He'd walked out on her, shouted at her, called her an Oyster. He couldn't have done a better job of feeding her fears if he'd tried. She was either going to be incredibly angry with him, or devastated by what he had done. He was honestly hoping for anger, he didn't like the idea of hurting her feelings.

She may not love him, but she did care about him and what was more, she trusted him. He'd given her more than enough time to stew in her own hurt feelings and doubts and she was probably cursing him at this point. By walking away from her he only made things harder on himself. He should have just calmed down and then gone back to talk to her. Now, he'd be lucky if he wasn't on his knees by the end of all this apologizing and begging her to speak to him.

What was he going to do if she rejected him again? What if she wanted nothing to do with him and decided he wasn't worth it? She already didn't think he was worthy of coming with her. Fear seized him and he couldn't bring himself to move. He couldn't face her, not yet. He needed to come up with some reason for him to follow her. A solid argument, something she couldn't protest.

He needed to know exactly what he could offer her if he followed her. Staying here, he had a businesses and wealth, the ability to care for her and make sure she was happy. He had nothing in her world. Hell, he didn't even exist. No wonder she was unsure if he should follow her or not. At this point he'd only be a burden on her. He wasn't about to depend on Alice to take care of him, it was his job to care for her.

He got up and started making his way to the lower levels. He only knew one person who could help him. He wasn't happy about it, but if it meant the difference between going with Alice and staying behind, then he could put up with just about anything.

Jack Heart sat at his desk, angry and frustrated. He ran his fingers through his short blond hair and hung his head over the mountain of paperwork that lay spread on his desk. His mother hadn't taken care of any of this in a long time. His father had tried for a while but even he couldn't spread himself thin enough to perform duties as a royal and meet his mother's constant demands.

Now Jack found himself faced with both his mother's business and the mess left by his grandfather. Topping all that off was the matter of the Resistance members, a new army, and helping Sir Charles with the Kingdom of the Knights. He looked over the papers again and sighed in frustration. He was beginning to wish he'd taken Diane up on her offer to stay up and help him. It was late and he'd insisted she retire for the evening.

The knock at his door surely meant more work or another problem and he hesitated before calling out for the person to enter.

Five opened the door and Jack could see Hatter standing behind him. "Your Majesty, I know it's late, but this man insisted..."

Jack held up a hand to silence the Club. "Yes, I know why he's hear. Send him in."

Five allowed Hatter into the room then bowed before leaving.

"You know," said Jack, stacking the papers before him and setting them aside. He wasn't likely to get anymore work done tonight. "When you didn't show up hours ago, I figured you two had worked things out. I suppose I was mistaken."

Hatter may not have bowed when he entered, but he did remove his hat, twisting the brim in his hands. "We're not on the best of terms at the moment, no. You know I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"Yes, I know. Have a seat, this is going to take a while."

Hatter sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "I need to know how to obtain the paperwork her world runs on and I need information. I figure, since you've already been there, you'd have some idea what I could do for work in her world."

He did know. Ever since this whole thing had come up he'd been planning how Hatter going to the other world was going to work. Which was strange considering that a few days ago the idea of helping Hatter gain Alice's affections would have been ludicrous.

Time, no matter how short, changed things. He'd been through a lot this past week. It was an awakening of sorts. While he had dethroned his mother for the good of the people, everything else he had done had been for selfish reasons. He'd used Alice, not just to get at her father, but to run away from his feelings for Diane. The few weeks he'd spent in the Oyster world had allowed him a chance at being a normal man in love with a woman who wasn't his mother's toy.

Fantasy and reality were two different things. While being with Alice was nice, his love for her was just as fake as the man he was pretending to be. It was a fantasy he clung to even after being abducted and resuming his role as prince once more.

He would never be a normal man and he could never really love Alice. No matter how he had once denied it, he did love Diane. She'd been something he thought he could never have. The young girl he'd fallen in love with had been chained down by his mother and became nothing more than another way to keep him in line. Her betrayal hurt him so deeply that he'd never considered she'd been doing those things to not only keep herself safe, but to keep him alive as well.

He still cared for Alice and owed her more than she'd ever let him pay back. If she wanted to make a life with this man he would do whatever he could to make that happen. Hatter was in need of money and resources and he wasn't likely to take a hand-out from someone who'd once courted the woman he was trying to win.

And in all honesty, he could use Hatter's help. Hatter had run one of the most successful Tea Houses under his mother's reign and he knew from Resistance records he'd run a shop in the lower city before that. What he was going to ask of Hatter was horribly time-consuming and probably more work than he was interested in, especially if Alice was having concerns about the three month deadline.

"Would you care for a drink?" Jack opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out what remained of his father's scotch. "I believe we've both had quite a day. We deserve a drink, don't you agree?" He filled a glass for each of them and passed one to Hatter.

Hatter nodded and excepted the glass but didn't drink from it. "That's very kind of you, Majesty, thank you."

Jack drank from his glass, thankful his father had expensive taste when it came to liquor. "You can skip the formalities, I know you don't care for me. Not as a person and not as your king."

Hatter raised his glass in silent agreement before drinking. "Seeing how I'm here for your help and essentially at your mercy, I figured I'd best mind my manners."

Jack shook his head. "I don't have time for all that. Especially not with the deadline imposed by the resistance. So, I'll get straight to the point. There's a large number of Resistance members and refugees living in the other world." He flipped through a few papers before pulling a small pile from the stack and handing it to Hatter. "Six hundred and seventy-five according to the records, and that's only the ones we have paperwork for. I suspect more were rushed through the Looking Glass to escape my mother and her beheadings."

Hatter flipped through the papers scanning over the names. "What do you need me to do?"

"Each person on that list needs to be contacted and informed of the closing of the Looking Glass. They need to know what time frame they have for returning home, if they choose to do so. I'm asking you to do that."

Hatter leaned back in his chair and swirling his drink slowly. "That's not going to work. Alice already thinks I won't have enough time to adjust to her world before the mirror closes. This sounds like it's going to take a huge amount to time. I'm not sure I can do it."

"You will have help, that I can promise. I just need you to oversee things. I want to know with absolute certainty that every Wonderlander we can find on the other side has the opportunity to come home."

"The job does come with benefits. You'll be set up with living quarters and be compensated for your time. I also need someone to remain on the other side and be sure those that stay behind are employed. Right now, the Resistance runs a few businesses. If you do this for us, I'll let you have the businesses in New York. We make quite a bit of profit off those, you'll be very well off. You would be able to care for Alice should you two chose to stay together."

Hatter looked over the papers again before downing his drink. "All right, you've got a deal."

"Excellent," Jack said, refilling the other man's drink. "One less thing I have to deal with. Let's sort through the details and I'll tell you a bit about her world."

_A/N_

_I know a lot of you thought something had happened to Hatter to keep him away for so long. I hope you're not too disappointed in what I came up with. I also felt the need to redeem Jack a little. He gets thrown under the bus a lot in fan fiction and really the poor guy can use a little redemption. _

_I'm hopping that Hatters flashback answered some of the questions about his past. _

_Thanks again for the reviews! I know I picked up a few new readers this last week so welcome and thanks for taking the time to read this story. _


	20. Listen to the Thunder

_a/n_

_This is the twentieth chapter of Unexpected Delays. Not bad for a story that was only going to be five to six chapters. I am grateful to all of you who read and review this story every week. A big thank you to Iellix for being my beta reader and advisor. And thank you to all the authors who's works inspire me and keep me loving this fandom!_

Listen to the Thunder

Diane, fiancée to the future King of Wonderland, sat in morning court listening to the property squabbles of the two men before her. Jack normally handled morning court while she took over the evenings. She'd been woken early this morning and informed that Jack was in no state to hold court and that she would be needed to perform his duties for him.

She tried to focus on the details of the men's dispute while pushing her anger aside. Apparently, Jack had chosen to take up drinking last night which explained his absence. Not only was he drunk and still passed out somewhere in the palace, but the servants all seemed to know about it. Word spread fast and it was likely too late to stop this disaster from getting out of the palace and being leaked to the public.

She made her ruling on the matter before her and quickly exited the court room. She had no time for anything else this morning. Damage control had to be done and she wasn't going to be the only one dealing with this.

Ten met her outside the courtroom, following behind her as she quickly moved towards the residential quarters of the palace. She tried to keep her anger under control as she spoke. "Where is he?"

Ten stammered a bit before answering. "The last I had heard, he was in the game room, your grace."

She quickened her pace now that she actually had a destination.

"Please your grace, his Majesty has been under a great deal of stress of late. Surely you can understand his need to seek relief."

Diane abruptly stopped, almost causing the Club to run into her. She turned on her heels and stared up at the tall man. "And if he were drinking Tea or indulging in the fairer sex, would you still be defending him? He has a _very_ fragile image to maintain. He cannot afford to do anything the people might find distasteful. Neither of us have the _righ_t nor the _luxury_ of 'seeking relief'."

She didn't wait for him to reply before continuing to the game room.

"We've been working so hard to distance ourselves from his mother's rule. It only takes _one_ scandal to undo all we've built up. Have you any idea how hard I've worked at turning the people in our favor?"

Ten flinched at the Duchess's harsh tone. "Yes, your Highness, I'm sure you're working extremely hard."

She paused outside the game room doors. She took a deep breath to try and compose herself before entering the room. Hatter was seated at the card table, head resting on his arms. Jack was across the room sprawled out on the chaise longue.

Anger welled up in her. She turned to Ten. "Go find out how many people know about this and gather them in the great hall. I'll be there in a moment."

Ten bowed low and left to carry out her orders. She shut the doors and grabbed a pillow off the couch. She stood over him for a moment, looking down at his sleeping face. She was torn between her love for him and her anger. In the end anger won out and she repeatedly struck him with the pillow.

"Of all the stupid, irresponsible things you could have done! Drinking and making a spectacle of yourself before half the staff, then having the _nerve_ to be passed out and hungover the next morning! This is unacceptable!"

Jack raised his arms against the unexpected attack. "Diane, please stop!" He sat up and pulled the pillow from her hands.

She stood before him, hands on her hips, her stare icy cold. "Have you any idea what you've done? Do you know what I'm going to have to go through to cover this up?"

"Darling, please, I didn't intend this."

"Oh? I suppose he came in here and forced you to drink with him?" She gestured at Hater who was just beginning to stir.

"No darling, you're right, this is my fault. I lost my head for a moment, I apologize."

She turned to Hatter, who was now fully awake and rubbing his temples. "And you," she said ,stalking over to him. "Does Alice know you were here drinking all night?"

He looked up at her, his eyes still clouded from sleep. "All night? What time is it?"

She snatched his hat off the table and pushed it forcefully down on his head. "It's after ten."

"Ten? In the morning?"

"Yes, you twit. You've been passed out for most of the morning." She looked back at Jack, who was laying down again. "_You_ missed morning court; I had to fill in for you."

Her fiancé just groaned at that fact. Behind her Hatter shot up from his chair, cursing as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

"Hatter," Jack called out to him. He stopped in the doorway and glanced back at the prince. "Thank you for your help."

Hatter simply nodded and quickly left the room.

This left her and Jack alone. He got up and walked over towards her. "Darling I..."

She turned her back on him and started out of the room. "There's a room full of servants waiting for us. This is _your_ mess, _you_ need to work your way out of it."

Hatter hurried out of the palace and took a Scarab back into the city. Damn it, he hadn't intended to spend the night drinking with Jack. Alice would surely be fuming by the time he got home, if she was even still home. Not even Alice slept in this late. She would have woken up to an empty home and he knew her well enough to know she would have gone out looking for him.

He looked out the window of the Scarab. Dark clouds loomed in the distance. That was just his luck. Not only was Alice likely to be wandering about the city looking for him, but they were both going to be caught up in a storm. Then again, maybe not; she could have chosen to stay home. If he was really lucky, she was safe at home, waiting to pound him into a bloody pulp for staying out all night.

A light rain had just started falling by the time he reached the Tea House. Dormie was immediately at his side trying to get his attention. He barely heard him as he scanned the room looking for Alice.

"Not now, Dormie."

He went back to his office, hoping to find her there. Dormie followed, hot on his heels.

"But Hatter..."

He frowned when he found his office was also empty. "Dormie, where's Alice?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell ya, she left."

"Damn it!" His heart sank. A million different thoughts ran through his head and he could hear the blood pounding in his ears.

"Yeah," Dormie said. "I tried to stop her but she threatened to wipe the floor with me if I didn't let her go. She's a tough bird you know, I didn't stand a chance trying to stop her."

Anger flared in him as Dormie tried to justify letting Alice leave. "Where did she go?"

He shook his head and quickly moved out of Hatter's way. "She didn't say."

He cursed under his breath and headed for the front door. Dormie followed, still trying to apologize for letting Alice go.

"Have you seen the storm brewing out there? I don't care if she threatened to pound you into the pavement! I'd rather have you become a spot on the ground than have her out in that mess." He turned back and yelled before he left, "So help me, If she comes back while I'm out looking for her, you keep her here! I don't care if you have to lock her in my office, don't let her leave again."

"Yes, boss."

The rain was coming down harder now then the last time he'd been out. He flipped his collar up in an effort to block it out. Wherever Alice was, she was stubborn enough to still be out looking for him. She didn't have enough self-preservation in her to take shelter somewhere until the storm passed.

He shouldn't have stayed away so long. He should never have started drinking with Jack. That had been a terrible idea. Damn, she was going to be angry when he found her.

He tried to watch where he was going so he could avoid a few of the larger puddles. Storms in Wonderland were very predictable: they all started out with a light rain that grew increasingly heavier before thunder and lightning joined the mix. Judging by the rain, he likely had about twenty minutes before the worst of the storm.

Alice only knew a few sections of the city and he hoped she stuck to those when she went out to look for him. She didn't know the areas to keep away from and he really didn't want to think about the trouble she could get into if she went looking for him in the wrong places. His name had just as good a chance getting her a warm greeting as it did getting her hurt.

If he was lucky, which was looking less and less likely all the time, she'd have gone straight to Lettie's. Lettie wouldn't have let her go back out in this storm. So if she had gone there, she was likely safe inside. Even if it was unlikely, that thought was reassuring.

He rounded the corner and there she was, like the answer to a prayer he didn't even know he'd made. She was only a few feet away, head bowed as she brushed her hair back away from her face.

"Alice."

Her head shot up at the sound of her name and her eyes met his. He steadied himself, waiting for whatever verbal or physical abuse she was going to dish out. She was cold and wet and he'd been the one to walk out on her. If she wanted to take a swing at him he'd stand there and take it. He deserved whatever punishment she saw fit.

He didn't expect it when she ran at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him in a way she hadn't since that day in the Casino. She pressed her face into his neck and clung to him like she thought he would disappear.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to chase you away. I'm so sorry."

He hesitated a moment, completely shocked by her unexpected behavior. Then he returned her embrace just as tightly, pulling her body tighter against him. "I shouldn't have left, that's my fault."

They just stood there, holding each other as the rain poured down over them. She was still clinging to him and he didn't dare try to dislodge her. He bent his head and kissed her wherever he could reach. He pressed kisses to her temple, her forehead, the top of her ear.

She buried her face in his chest. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

When she finally lifted her head he took full advantage and kissed her firmly. Her lips were warm and wet with rain, facts that only made him want to kiss her harder. Rain drops fell between them and were quickly kissed away.

He pulled away just enough so he could look in her stormy blue eyes. "I missed you."

She wound her fingers in his hair, tugging slightly at the wet curls between her fingers and pulling his lips back down to meet hers. She couldn't manage to get close enough to him. She'd been so worried about him and afraid something had happened to him.

Thunder boomed above them and Hatter looked up at the sky. "We need to get inside before the lightning starts."

He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her head. She was already soaked so the gesture was moot, but sweet nonetheless. His jacket was still warm with his body heat and smelled wonderfully like him. He wrapped his arm around her as they headed home and she happily leaned into him.

Dormie greeted them at the door but Hatter quickly dismissed him, telling him to come back in the morning. After he left they headed up to the apartment.

Hatter flipped the light switch only to find the storm had knocked the power out.

"Well," he said. "We'll likely be out of electricity for the rest of the night. If we're really unlucky, it'll be out for a few days."

"Great, nothing like roughing it. Do we have candles or flashlights?"

"I don't want to bother with that at the moment. Let's just get changed, yeah?"

They were both cold and wet and he only wanted to get them dry. He lead her into the bathroom and handed her a towel. He took his jacket and hung it to dry over the shower rod, then did the same with her sweater. The light fleece sweater had been no protection from the weather and she was completely soaked through.

Standing there wet and shivering, she looked so much like the first day he met her. He must have been staring because she stopped drying her hair and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

He smiled and went about drying his own hair. "Nothing, You're just pretty, that's all."

She laughed and reached back to her zipper. "I think you have a thing for girls in wet dresses."

"If I didn't before, I'm sure I do now. Not my fault you're constantly damp."

He watched as she unzipped her dress and stepped out of it. He took in the sight of her drying off for a brief moment before leaving the bathroom. The idea of pushing her up against the cabinets and having his way with her was becoming more and more appealing the longer he watched. As much as he wanted that, he didn't really think now was the best time. They had too much to deal with and sex was not a fix-all.

He pulled off his wet clothes and slipped on a pair of drawstring pants. Alice emerged from the bathroom a moment later, holding the towel in front of herself modestly. He picked out a light blue nightgown and handed it to her. He then moved to the bed and sat against the headboard, waiting for her to join him.

She quickly dressed before sitting at the foot of the bed facing him. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. He didn't want to do this and he was scared to death of the outcome. She might have been happy to see him, but that didn't mean she wanted to stay with him.

"Why don't you tell me exactly what the problem is?"

She was looking at her hands, picking at her nails, a nervousness habit she had. "I feel guilty making you rush into this. Three months is just not enough time to decide where you're going to spend the rest of your life. It's not even enough time to get used to living in my world. A year would be better, at least then you could make an informed decision about where you want to stay."

He understood that; he wasn't exactly keen on the idea of giving up his life here to stay in her world after such a short time. He simply didn't have a choice. If he wanted to be with Alice, and he did, he'd have to take that chance.

"A year would be great, but it's not really an option now, is it? There's no way to extend this. Ya can't control the situation we're in, no more than you can control my emotions."

She looked at him, her eyes taking in the healing burn marks and scars that dotted his chest. They were physical reminders of the hurt she had caused him. She'd already been the reason his life had been torn apart once, and she didn't want that to happen again.

"I've never been in a relationship that's lasted longer than a few months."

He didn't comment on that and let her continue.

"Every relationship starts out great and you think the other person is sweet and funny. Then, as you spend more time together you start finding little things you don't like about that person. You fight and you argue, and in my experience, you find out they're not who you thought they were. Then it's over and all you're left with is hurt feelings and disappointment."

"I see," he said, pausing to think her words over. The conclusion he came up with wasn't pretty, but he suspected it was close to the truth. He wondered how many relationships she'd wormed her way out of simply to escape the possibility of her feelings being hurt. "So what you're saying is, you only want to deal with the good, not the bad."

Her head snapped up and her eyes were filled with anger. "How the hell can you say that?"

"Because it's true!" He raised his voice to match hers. "If ya want all the fun bits, the sex, the romance, and the companionship, ya have to deal with the downside. Fighting, bad habits, poor tastes, bad decisions. You've got to put up with all the crap the other person can dish out."

"That's exactly it. Besides this fight, we haven't been through the bad. Three months from now you might still _think_ you're in love with me and you'll decide to stay with me. But what about five months, or seven? Given time, you might find out you really don't like me and by then it'll be too late. You'll have given up your life here for no reason."

"It's not for no reason. I'm going to give up my life here because I love you. What better reason can I possibly give you?"

She went silent again and he got off the bed in frustration. He began pacing in front of her. She seemed completely fixated on the idea that he was going to regret leaving with her. It made him angry that she wouldn't even consider the idea that they could end up happy together. Honestly, did every 'what if' in her head end up with him leaving her? What the hell did she think of him?

"I'm just scared," she said in a voice so low he wasn't quite sure she'd really spoken at all.

He stopped pacing and looked down at her. She was looking up at him now, her face lined with worry. "Scared of what?"

"I don't know, everything I guess." She took a deep breath and was quiet for a moment. "I guess... I just don't want to hurt you. I don't trust myself enough to not push you away. There's something inside me that's broken and I don't know how to handle it." She gestured between them. "You know, us."

He took his position again at the head of the bed. "You've been doing fine with all this until now."

She shook her head. She just didn't know how else to explain it. The start of a relationship was easy, finding someone she liked wasn't the hard part. It was admitting that another person had a hold on her, that she needed them and that they were able to hurt her, that was the hard part. She'd never allowed herself to be vulnerable that way. In a way, he was right. She was so afraid of being hurt that she was scared to let him have that control over her.

"I started to panic the first time you told me you loved me."

"Why didn't you say anything then?"

"You had me occupied with other things at the time. I really wasn't interested in pushing you off me just to dump my emotional baggage on you."

He laughed. "Oh no, it's much better to do that when your ex is around. That way, not only could you hurt me, but you could embarrass me as well."

"I didn't mean to do that. I told you I'm sorry."

"Never mind that now, it's too late to change anything. Where does that leave us? Do you think in time, that I'm going to change or feel differently about you than I do now? That I'm not going to be who you think I am?"

Her head snapped up and her eyes locked with his. "No. I think I'm not who _you_ think I am." She looked away again. "I don't think I'm worth giving up the life you have here. I think in the long run you're just going to be disappointed in me."

He would have laughed out loud if she wasn't being so serious. "Alice, I'm not stupid, and I'm not high on Ignorance. I don't expect you to be perfect. Believe me, you're not. You're moody and hardheaded and you never think before you do things. You have more issues in that head of yours than the Great Library has books and for the love of all, you can't make a decent cup of tea."

During his listing of her flaws, she had looked back up at him. For someone who wanted to hear that he didn't think she was perfect, she still looked a little hurt. Then again, he didn't expect any other reaction from her.

"I guess that's a good thing," she said uncertainly.

"It is," he quickly assured her. "Because for every one ugly little flaw you have, there are a hundred things I love about you. You're sweet and thoughtful, smart and funny."

He reached out to her and pulled her onto his lap. She followed without argument and straddled his hips.

He reached out and cupped her cheek. "You'd do anything to help someone, even when there's nothing in it for you. I love that about you. Believe me, I love you. If you don't love me, that's ok, but you can't decide how I feel about you."

"It's not that I don't love you, it's just that... I think it's too soon to say that and really mean it."

Logically he knew she was right, but emotionally, his heart argued. He needed to remind himself that he already came to terms with this fact and it didn't matter if she loved him _now_ or not. Eventually, he'd win her over.

"I understand that. It doesn't change the fact that I want to go with you."

She leaned into him and rested her head on his chest. "I know. I want you to go with me. I just want to know that you're happy."

He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "I am happy, luv. I'm happy when I'm with you. Which is surprising seeing how much trouble you've caused me." He reached out and tickled her sides, causing her to giggle and squirm against him.

She grabbed his hands, pushing them back down onto the bed. "That's not fair."

He leaned up and kissed her. He freed his hands from her grasp and pulled her against him again. They laid there listening to the thunder and the wind and rain pounding against the windows.

Alice listened to his heart beating and was soothed by the steady rhythm. Suddenly a flash of green lit up the room followed by a flash of purple. She rose up off his chest and watched out the window as more colored lights flashed outside.

"Whats that?"

Hatter looked at her strangely for a second before scooting her off his lap and standing. "It's lightning."

He took her hand and led her towards the window. They stood there watching the cloudy sky between the buildings. The lightning flashed hot pink this time. Unlike the normal white lightning she was used to, this lightning streaked sideways across the sky. There was another flash of lightning, this one yellow that shot out diagonally across the clouds, moving up instead of down.

"It's beautiful," she said, watching in wonder at the light show playing out in front of her.

His arms wrapped around her waist and he rested his chin on her shoulder. "It is."

She wondered what he would think of lightning in her world. It was plain and boring compared to what she was watching now. "Lightning isn't like this in my world. There's no color to it, it's just flashes of light. There's probably a lot of things in my world that won't compare to what Wonderland has."

He pulled her closer to him. "Maybe not, but it doesn't really matter. Once you leave, there won't be an Alice in Wonderland. I can live without fancy lightning, but I don't want to be without you."

She reached down and took his hand from her waist, bringing it up to her lips and kissing it. He ran his thumb over her lips before caressing her cheek.

"So where did you go last night?"

"I went out, just random places. I sat out thinking for a long time." He started at her ear before kissing down her neck to her shoulder, pausing to speak between each kiss.

"You stayed up all night?"

"No," he said, pushing the strap of her nightgown off her shoulder so he could get at the skin beneath it. "I went to talk to Jack about your world."

She turned in the circle of his arms. "Really? You willingly went and talked to Jack?"

"What can I say, I was desperate. I needed a backup plan in case you rejected me."

She laughed and pulled him into a kiss. "And what was your backup plan?"

He ran his hands down her sides and slipped them under the hem of her nightgown, rubbing her thighs. "Well, I was going to tell you that I have to go to your world anyway. I have a job there."

She pulled away from him, just enough so he could see the shock on her face. "Jack has you working in my world?"

Hatter rolled his eyes at her. "Ya know, I had a nice little romantic mood going there with the lightning and the kissing. You're steadily destroying it with all this talking."

"You'll live. What exactly is your job in my world?"

He sighed and walked over to the dresser, searching through the drawers for a flashlight. "I'm to contact members of the Resistance and inform them of the Queen being overthrown and that the Looking Glass is going to be shut down. Then he's going to have me take over a few businesses they own. You know, to keep those who stay behind employed."

He found a large silver flashlight and turned it on. He shined the light over her once before turning it off and setting it aside.

"How many people are we talking about?"

He pulled a few half-used candles out and set them alongside the flashlight. "Oh, you know, a few."

"Hatter."

He looked down at the candle in his hand. "About six hundred some people."

"Six hundred? Jack expects you to find six hundred people? Are they all in New York?"

"No, he said they're kind of all over. Your country is big, right?"

She nodded. "Very. Even if you have current phone numbers for all of them, it's still going to take forever."

"Now look," he said, taking her hand in his. He already knew where she was heading with this. "I'll have Suits helping me, it won't take that long, I promise. I'll get it all taken care of straight away. Then it'll just be you and me."

She leaned against the windowsill, looking thoughtful. "Ok, so Jack gave you a job. Where else did you go? I mean, you were gone all night and this morning."

He wondered how she would react to his drinking the night away with Jack. He couldn't lie about it, she was likely to find out the truth. Maybe he couldn't lie but he could put the situation in a different light.

"We talked business for a while and we drank and played cards."

"Really? You drank with Jack? Seriously?"

"Well, I was drowning my sorrows a bit. You did hurt me, luv. Jack's not such a bad guy once you get to know him. Poor bloke's so weighed down with the problems of the kingdom right now, I really feel bad for him."

"Really?" She looked completely shocked at his opinion of Jack. She didn't even seem to care he was drinking all night.

"Sure. I'm feeling a bit more sympathetic now since he told me you two never actually slept together. Made it a little easier to drink with him knowing he never got his hands on you."

She stepped closer to him and rested a hand on his chest. "You're being kinda of possessive, aren't you?"

"When it comes to you, yes." He cradled her head in his hands, his palms pressing just under her chin. "You trust me, Kettle?"

"Of course I do."

He bent his head down, his lips a breath away from hers. "Then believe me when I tell ya I have everything taken care of. We're going to be fine."

He closed the distance between them and kissed her. The weather outside continued to pound against the building. The lightning flashed and the thunder boomed but neither noticed. They were safe and together and that was all that mattered.

_a/n_

_There will be a companion chapter to this posted latter this week called Rolling Thunder. It will be in the M section so be sure to check back around Sunday. _


	21. Hearts left behind

Hearts left behind

Alice hadn't slept this good in a long time. Between her lack of sleep the night before and the warmth of Hatter at her back, she'd easily fallen into a deep slumber. His face was buried in her hair and she'd woken up because his stubble was tickling her neck. She shifted just enough to get away from his face and tried not to wake him. It was still early and she was looking forward to a few more hours of sleep.

That wasn't going to happen now that Hatter was stirring behind her. He pulled her closer and kissed her neck. "Morning, Kettle."

She rolled over and settled her head on his chest. "Morning. Sleep well?"

"Mmmhmm." he mumbled. He rubbed her back and shoulder and didn't make any moves to get out of bed. Maybe he'd been as exhausted as she was and she'd be able to get him to sleep in for once.

The buzzer for the door sliced through the silence. Hatter chuckled as she startled in response to the harsh noise. He kissed her one more time before going to the intercom. It was Nine, saying he was here to pick up Hatter.

"I forgot all about this. I'm supposed to go see Turtle today and get my papers. I should have been up an hour ago." He rushed around dressing quickly and running his hand through his untamable hair.

She watched him hop around, hurrying to get his pants on. She couldn't help but laugh and he shot her a sideways glare.

"Oh, I suppose you think it's funny, do you? I'll have you know it's your fault I sleep in."

She drew her knees up, wrapping her arms around them and propping her chin up. "How is it my fault?"

Before she knew it he was on the bed, moving up the length of her body. The heat she saw in his eyes made her lean back into the pillows as he advanced. "Because since you've taken up sleeping in my bed I haven't wanted to leave it."

He kissed her, running a hand down her chest. She moaned into his mouth and arched up towards his touch. He rose up on his elbows and sighed, looking down at her kissed bruised lips. "Unfortunately I do have to leave today."

He kissed her again, this time just a quick peck. She watched as he grabbed his coat and flipped his hat on. "So is there anything you want me to take care of while you're gone? Maybe I could help Dormie or something."

"No," he said. "Dormie should start making some decisions on his own. This place will be his so he might as well do as he likes. Besides, we only have a few days to pack before we leave for your world. If ya want to help me, you can go through my things. We can't bring much with us so let's narrow it down to whatever we can't replace on your side."

It was ridiculously silly but whenever he used words like 'us' or 'we' she always got that warm feeling in her chest. She nestled down in the pillows, closed her eyes and smiled. "Alright, I'll work on that. See you when you get back."

"You're going back to sleep, aren't you?"

She pulled the blanket up close to her face and cracked one eye open. "Maybe."

"Sweet dreams then." he said, laughing as he left.

She only got another hour of sleep before the room became too warm and bright to let her sleep any longer. She dressed and looked around the apartment, trying to decide where to start. His books would be the easiest to short through so she'd start there.

She looked over the books carefully, pulling out anything that looked like an early edition or a title she'd never heard of. Any Wonderland book went into a second pile, both stacked neatly on the couch. Hatter could go through them for a final sort when he got back.

After going through the books, she debated what to do next. She wanted to stick to things that were safe and not too personal. Even though he'd given her permission to go through his things, she still didn't want to invade his privacy. She figured things he kept out in the open were ok for her to sort through but anything closed off or tucked away, she mentally marked as off limits. There was a chest she wasn't going to dig through and she wasn't touching the boxes in the closet either.

Clothes were safe but there was no way she could go through his, that would just be a waste of time. Knowing Hatter, he probably wanted to take his whole wardrobe with him. She could just imagine showing up at the Looking Glass, chucking one suitcase after another through to her world. She laughed out loud at the thought. No, she wouldn't let him leave with more than two suitcases full of shirts and hats.

She should probably go through her own things and decide what she wanted to take with her. It would be a shame to let Lettie's gifts go to waste. She didn't want to take up any more space than was necessary in their bags but there were a few dresses she really wanted to keep. She decided to start with the clothes in the dresser first, that would be the fastest place to start, then she'd move on to the closet.

Hatter had given her the top drawer to use for her undergarments and any other personal things she had. She sifted through it's contents, setting aside a few things to keep. The dresser had four drawers and she had no idea what was in the other three. She peeked inside each, not trying to be nosy of course, just to see what was in there and _if _it was safe for her to go through. The first one was filled with boxers and the second one was filled with socks.

The bottom drawer was pretty much empty except for a few pairs of pants. She closed the drawer but paused when she heard a small clanking sound coming from it. There was nothing in there that could make that noise. She pulled the drawer out again and emptied it. Once it was empty, she could see that this one had a false bottom to it. She sat looking at the empty drawer, silently debating on whether or not she should snoop around. Looking in the drawers had already been pushing the privacy issue, and going through something Hatter obviously didn't want found definitely crossed the line.

In the end curiosity won out and she worked at pulling the false bottom up. If it was something she wasn't supposed to see, she could always pretend she'd never found anything. The bottom lifted out and she stared down at the items before her.

There was several bottles of Tea, which explained the clanking noise she heard. She cautiously rolled the bottles right side up so she could read each label. Most of the Teas were familiar: Bliss, Lust, Excitement. Others, she'd never heard of: Anticipation, Optimism, Awe, Enthrallment and Submission. She picked up a bottle, much smaller than the others, containing only a few drops of clear liquid. Unlike the rest, this one just had a paper label on the side that read, Love. How in the world did they milk Love out of people?

Why would Hatter have all of this anyway? He said he didn't use Tea and she believed him. A lot of them were uncommon, maybe that was why he hid them away. She stared down at the vile in her hands. She unscrewed the cap and sniffed it. It had no smell, as far as she knew it could just be water in there. She wondered what it would taste like.

What would it feel like if she tried a drop? Being an Oyster, could she even get a high off Tea?

She quickly put everything back where she found it. What the hell was she thinking? Tea was awful, how could she even consider trying it? What would Hatter think of her if he came home and found her high on Tea?

She pushed the idea of Tea from her mind and was about to move on to the closet when she spotted the books on top of the dresser. They were what had been in her drawer before Hatter let her use it. Two plain looking books and a small box. She gathered them up and took them over to the couch to add them to the keep pile.

Both books were leather-bound and looked pretty old and well read. The first was a book of short stories, little fables and fairytales. The second one was handwritten. It appeared to be a recipe book of some kind but none of the ingredient names were familiar.

The little box was made of wood and had some bird creatures painted on the top and sides. She tentatively opened it. Inside were little figures and small animals, marbles and little bits of string. These were children's toys, maybe they were Hatter's. She pulled each item out, setting them up on the table. At the very bottom was a old black and white photo.

In the picture was a woman and two young children, a boy and a girl. She could tell right away by the dimpled smile and buck teeth that the little boy was Hatter. He grinned up at her from the photo, proudly holding up a very large fish.

The girl was older than him by a few years and had long, dark hair twisted in two braids over her shoulders. The woman had to be his mother. She had Hatter's eyes and that same bright smile.

This box, those two books, the photo, were they all he had left from the White Side? She put the toys back in the box but kept the photo out. She had just set it down when she heard the door downstairs open.

Hatter came into the room and tossed a thick brown envelop on the table in front of her. Judging by his stance and the aggravated look on his face she could tell things hadn't gone as smoothly as he thought they would.

"Do you know what's wrong with you Oysters?" He reached down and jabbed his finger repeatedly into the envelope before her. "This is what's wrong with your world. Ya need a bloody paper for everything on your side."

He didn't give her a chance to respond. He snatched the envelope up and started pulling identification out, stating how pointless each piece was as he went. By the time he pulled out his new birth certificate, she couldn't hold back her laughter anymore.

"Alice, it's not funny. Even you have to admit it's madness that I have to have a piece of paper saying I was born. You'd think that one would be obvious."

"There's reasons, Hatter, trust me." She flipped through the papers and paused when she came to a license. "Jack, actually gave you a Drivers license?"

"Yeah, I'm quite keen on that one. He said I'd need it to drive motor vehicles round your city."

Drive around the city? _She_ didn't even drive in the city, not if she could help it anyway. "You don't know how to drive."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I flew a Flamingo, how hard could it be?"

"Big difference."

He rolled his eyes at her and gathered up his identification. His hand still clutching the papers tightly as his eyes fell on the picture she had found. For a moment he was frozen staring down at the picture of the smiling woman and children.

"That's you, isn't it?" she asked.

He walked away from her and over to the closet. "Yeah that's me. It's just an old photo. Put it away will ya?"

He was trying to avoid talking to her about his past, again. She wasn't going to let him avoid things this time. She picked up the picture and joined him across the room. "And the woman? Who is she?"

"We really need to start packing. Jack, says the Looking Glass should be working in a day or so." He was flipping through shirts, occasionally pulling one off the hanger only to toss it carelessly on the bed. "How many shirts do you think I should bring? I doubt you Oysters cater to my style. I might have a hard time finding things I like."

"Hatter."

He pulled out a green silk shirt, looking it over carefully. "Of course, I should be trying to fit in. I'm already going to stick out like a sore thumb, I should try not to draw attention to myself, yeah?"

"Hatter!"

He shifted uncomfortably and avoided her eyes.

"Is she your mother?"

Hatter finally met her eyes and he gave her a piteous look. She was pushing him in this and she knew it but there was no way she was going to let it go. She needed to know about this woman and his family and she wasn't going to let him run away from that.

He looked down at the photo. "Yeah."

"Is she still there? On the White Side?"

He walked away from her again, heading over to the bed and fussing with his shirts. "Alice it's not important."

She was floored. How could he say that about his mother? Never in a million years would she say her mother wasn't important. What the hell was going on with him that he would say something like that.

"Not important? Hatter, look at her." She carefully waved the photo before him. "Tell me _she's_ not important."

He stared down at the photo longingly.

"Tell me why you left the White side. And be honest! No lying about how terrible it was or how everyone is crazy. Lettie is White Side and she's not crazy. And life here has to be harder than there, especially for you. I want the truth Hatter."

He took the picture from her and set it on the nightstand, face down so he wouldn't have to look at it."It's a long story and I think you'll find you don't like the ending. I'm not proud of what I did."

"Hatter, there's nothing you could say that would change how I feel about you. If we're going to move forward together then we have to be honest with each other."

This wasn't something he ever planned on telling anyone. He'd never even told Lettie the real reason he left with her and James. Lettie had obviously told her what she knew and had more than likely admitted that she didn't know all the reasons behind his actions. He had no other options but to tell her the truth. Lying to her about this could shatter the fragile bond of trust he'd built with her and he wasn't willing to take that chance.

They were sitting on the bed now, side by side. Alice was close to him but not touching. Like she was trying to give him space but still be close. It was a sweet gesture and sitting like this, he could let his eyes wander over the room instead of her face. It helped settle his unease a little.

"Ok, tell me what Lettie told you, so I at least know where to start."

He listened to her as she retold Lettie's version of events. Lettie loved telling that story and he'd heard it many times before. It was all true as far as he knew. Hearing it again brought back bittersweet memories.

"You said your life would be better anywhere but home and that you didn't trust James."

Again, that was true. He'd been so sick of his family, mostly his father, that it didn't matter where he went as long as it wasn't home. And he really hadn't trusted James. He'd been especially wary because Lettie was so in love with James. He'd never seen two people act like that before and he thought Lettie was throwing away good judgment in running away with someone she hardly knew.

Fate had a sick sense of humor. It was ironic that Alice felt the same way about their relationship.

"But that's not why you left, is it?" she asked.

"No. I left because my father insisted on Lettie marrying my brother. It didn't matter what Lettie wanted, my father wasn't going to let her or James ruin his 'business deal'." That's what his father had said, that he wasn't about to let some underclass scum ruin his business deal.

"I always liked the idea of Lettie marrying into my family. I wanted her to be my real sister. But when they told her she couldn't be with James and that she had to marry Kenny, she was devastated. Her family, my family, none of them cared if she was happy."

She leaned forward, trying to catch his eye. "But you did, didn't you?"

He looked at her, smiling at him like she already knew the outcome of all this. It didn't bring him any comfort. "Course I did, I love Lettie. She came to me to say goodbye and tell me that she and James were running away and that she'd probably never see me again. She said she loved me and she would miss me but that she had to leave. I was furious, my father treated me like I was... an unwanted burden and now he was forcing Lettie to leave me."

"I never stood up to my father before, but that night I did. I yelled at him and cursed at him and we were both screaming at each other. When my mother stepped between us, I though she was going to defend me. She was forced into marriage just like Lettie and I though she was finally going to put my father in his place."

"Instead, she turned on me and told me to be quiet and respect him. She said that he was the one who put a roof over our heads and food on our plates and that as long as I lived there, I needed to respect his decisions."

His thirteen year old self hadn't taken that well. He'd felt like his mother was betraying him. His mother who he had always felt he needed to protect, who loved him despite the things his father said about him, was siding with the enemy. That was how he had seen things.

"I didn't run away because of my father, I was used to him and how he treated me. If my mother would have stood up with me I never would have left. But she didn't. I left because of what she said. I was angry with her because she never once stood up to my father on anything. Not once did she confront him about the way he treated her or me or anyone. I always though it was because she was just timid. Then the one chance she gets to really prove herself, to stand up with me against him, and she didn't take it. I was defending her as much as I was Lettie and she turned on me anyway. I felt completely alone."

He felt her fingers work between his. He hadn't even realized that he been clenching his fist until she pried his hand open. "What did you do?"

"I left. I packed a bag full of my things and I left with Lettie and James."

He looked down at their joined hands. The next part of the story he knew she wouldn't like. Maybe she'd understand but more than likely she was going to think badly of him. "I left my mother a note. I told her that I wasn't going to live with my father anymore. I blamed her and called her a coward. I told her that I wasn't going to stay and watch her lose what was left of herself. I told her I didn't respect her and that I was disappointed in her."

That last bit was what he wished he could take back. He _never_ should have said that to her, even if it was just on paper. Those were his father's words and he'd redirected them at his mother. She got enough of that from his father, she really didn't need to hear it from her son as well. That letter wasn't intended to let her know that he was leaving, he meant to hurt her with it. He was disgusted how much like his father he'd acted in that moment. It was the only thing he regretted about the way he left.

"I abandoned her, Alice. I was the only one in that house who was willing to look out for her and I left her there. I'm not proud of it and I wasn't strong enough to forgive her. She was just trying to keep the peace but I didn't see it that way."

She was silent but she hadn't pulled her hand away from him. He took that as a good sign. "So that's it, now you know the reason why I left."

She nodded in understanding. "And you haven't seen her or talked to her since?"

A lot of times Alice would ask a question that he found completely ridiculous until he reminded himself that she wasn't from here and didn't know the simple things. "No, I haven't. There's no communication between here and the White Side. I regret what I did but there's no way I can see her again."

"Well, you have too."

He snapped his head up and stared at her. Maybe she didn't understand. "_No_, I _cant_. There's no way for me to go home. People don't travel between the Sides, it's against the law."

"Hatter, the three of you crossed into the Red Side. What's to stop us from going to the White Side?"

"We were children, Alice. What we did was incredibly stupid. If the Queen's Suits had caught us we'd have been executed."

She shifted on the bed so he had no choice but to look at her while they talked. "Then we'll ask Jack for permission to cross into the White Side. Charlie needs someone to be an ambassador anyway, we can kill two birds with one stone."

He wanted to tell her that was a stupid idea but the truth was, it was a damn good plan. Jack would probably jump at the offer of help and Charlie would be ecstatic that they were willing to go. It was such a logical reason for going that no one would argue against them going.

He used the impossibility of returning home as an excuse to not face what he'd done to his mother. Now, because of his stubborn, pushy, bossy, little Oyster, there was nothing stopping him from going home but his fear. What had happened in the years since he'd been away? Would his mother even want to see him? What if she wanted nothing to do with him? Or worse, what if his father had worn away his mother's spirit to the point where she was just a shell of her former self? He really didn't think he could live with that level of guilt.

"I can't go back. I don't know what my mother thinks of me but I'm sure it's not good."

She stood and towered over him. "It doesn't matter what she thinks of you! You have no idea what it's like to be the one left behind. I looked for my dad for ten years, Hatter, _ten years_! Every day I wondered where he was, if he was ok or if he was even alive."

She was starting to tear up and she turned her face away from him. "You have no idea what it's like."

"It's not like I don't want to go back, Alice, it's just..." He honestly didn't know what to tell her. He wasn't prepared when she turned around and yelled at him, looking as angry as he'd ever seen her.

"NO! _You're_ the one who left! You know where you are and you know where they still are, but they have no _idea_ what happened to you!" Her hands were clenched at her sides and angry tears slipped from her eyes.

"There's no point going back. What good would it do to go all the way to the White Side just to tell her I'm leaving Wonderland for good."

"Because you need to tell her you're ok, that you're alive. She deserves to know what happened to you."

This was getting way out of hand. She was getting upset because she was relating this to her father. He moved to comfort her but she just stepped away and wiped at her tears with the back of her hand.

"Do you have any idea what I would do to see my father again? You have _no clue_ what I would give up just to have him back, even for a day or an hour. It would be enough just to hold him and tell him I love him. It doesn't matter how long you're there for, what matters is you're there. This isn't about you. You're the one who left, as far as I'm concerned you have no right to consider how any of this effects you. You need to give her closure on this."

He ran his hand through his hair, removing his hat and flinging it on the bed. "This is why I didn't want to tell you. Look at how upset you are and how mad at me you are. I knew this is how you'd react to what I've done."

She seemed to calm down a bit but he could tell she was still upset. "I am mad at you... but not for leaving. If you hadn't left home you never would have come here and I never would have met you. I'm mad because you don't see a problem with never going back."

"And what about the deadline for the closing of the Looking Glass? I thought you were worried about how much time we have on your side before that happens. You realize that going to the White Side takes away from that, don't you?" Bringing up the deadline was a long shot but it was the last good reason he had for not going so he had to use it.

She threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "I can't believe you. How many excuses are you going to come up with? I'm willing to sacrifice time in my world so you can take care of your business here."

He opened his mouth to argue with her but she cut him off. "It's been fifteen years and you still feel guilty about how you left. How do you think you're going to feel five years from now, or ten? It will be too late then to go back. This could be your last chance to make things right, Hatter."

He sighed and looked at the floor. She was right, he knew she was right. That didn't make it any easier to do.

She grabbed his hands and forced him to look at her. "You have to do this. We'll go back and everything will be fine, you'll see. I'll be right there with you."

He looked into her eyes and saw what looked like desperation. Maybe she needed this. Maybe this was a way for her to deal with her father and all the unresolved issues she had.

"Alright, if Jack goes along with this whole ambassador thing, then we can go. But if we can't find my family, we're turning around and coming back. Do you understand?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I can live with that. I just wish you wanted to do this as much as I want you too."

"We'll see." he said returning her embrace.

_A/n_

_White Side here we come!_

_This chapter was incredibly difficult to write for some reason. I'm not sure if I conveyed what I was trying to say correctly but I feel this is the best I can do at the moment. If you have comments or constructive criticism please feel free to leave it. _

_Now...the part where she finds the emotions. Think about this, I'm sure Hatter has a stash of hidden Tea somewhere. I mean come on, he's Hatter. I know she didn't try any of them in this story but... there's nothing to stop some very talented, very kind author, from writing a story where she does. Hint, hint. I'm going to toy around with this and see if I can come up with a one-shot but, **You** can help yourself and create your own. It would be lovely if someone would adopt this little plot-bunny. He's free to a good home!_


	22. Preparation

Preparation

"You want to do, what?" Jack Heart stood behind his desk, his calm composure slipping away.

"We, Hatter and I, are offering to be ambassadors for Charlie. We know he needs someone to ask for assistance from the White Side so he can rebuild the Kingdom of the Knights. We're willing to do that."

Hatter stood silently beside her. He told her when this started that it was her responsibility to convince Jack to send them. He made it clear that he would support her but he wasn't going to contribute.

Jack seemed to be at a loss for words. Diane rose from her seat and stood next to Jack. "Alice, I know where you're going with this. What you want to do isn't possible, it's best you leave the past alone."

She and Hatter exchanged confused glances. There was no way either of them could know about Hatter being White Side. "What do you mean?"

Jack looked equally confused. "Yes darling, what do you mean?"

"Come now Jack, if you are to be King you really need to learn to read people better. This is completely out of sorts for the two of them. And he's never silent." she said, pointing at Hatter. "He's letting her do the talking because he's afraid of giving them away."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "Very well then, why don't you tell me what they're planing."

"It's obvious Jack," she said. "Alice wants to go to the White Side so she can find out about her father."

She had to admit, the Duchess was good. She hadn't even considered the possibility of finding out about her father right away. She'd been too focused on Hatter and his problems to think of much else. But during the ride here, she had thought about seeing what she could find out about her father's family.

It was a new development in this White Side trip and one she hadn't mentioned to Hatter. She glanced over at him. He obviously didn't like being kept out of the loop because he was glaring at her. "I hadn't though of that. Did you, Alice?"

All eyes were on her now and she tried not to look as nervous as she felt. "Well not at first, but now that you mention it..."

Jack cut her off before she could explain further. "No, you absolutely can not do that. The White Side is unaware of our involvement in the abduction of the scientist. We're not even sure what they do believe happened to them. If they found out that my mother kidnapped those scientists, it would certainly start a war."

"Then give her what information you do have about Carpenter. The Queen must have known something about him." Hatter was looking out for her, just like he always did. If he was mad at her for not being completely honest with him she couldn't tell.

Jack shook his head. "I'm afraid that information was lost when the Casino was destroyed. The Resistance only had information about his life in the other world, not his past on the White Side."

"You know what," she said waving her hand as if to brush the thoughts away. "Just forget about it. We really just want to help Charlie. I can let my fathers past slide. After all, its not going to answer any questions I have anyway."

Diane was studying her and she couldn't help uncomfortably shifting under the woman's gaze. "We're just not so sure now would really be the best time to do this. The people might not take too well to us having relations with the White Side."

"But you're not," she argued. "I'm an Oyster. I'm doing this of my own will, you didn't ask me to do anything. All I'm asking for is permission to cross the border."

"Hatter is Red Side." Jack quickly pointed out, like he was desparate to find any good reason for them not to go. "The White Side might accept an Oyster but I'm not certain how they will react to a Red Sider. We haven't had honest contact with the White Side since... well, since the last Alice was here."

"I'll be fine." Hatter said. "I know what I'm getting myself into. Just give us permission to cross sides and we'll be on our way. The faster we leave the faster we can get back."

Diane and Jack shared a silent exchange before she walked over to the door and said a few words to the Spade posted outside. She then returned to the desk and sat in one of the large leather chairs. "I asked him to summon Sir Charles. We think it's best if he have a opinion on this. He can also inform you of exactly what you will have to do."

"You're letting us go then?" she asked.

Jack sat back down at his desk, his calm and controlled attitude slipping away, revealing the exhausted man he was becoming. "You are not my subject, I have no control over you. Since you are technically half White Side I cant stop you from traveling back to your native Side. I could stop Hatter if I chose but where would that get me? Knowing you, you'd likely go on your own. How would I look sending Wonderland's champion off into hostile enemy territory without protection? I honestly have no other choice but to bend to your will."

That statement made her feel like she was being irrational. Hatter didn't want to go and Jack didn't want to let them go. Regardless she wasn't going to back down. She would do this for his family and she wasn't going to let silly things like logic and regard for her safety stop her.

"Thanks for your concern, Jack. I'm sure we'll both be fine." She and Hatter each took a seat while they waited for Charlie.

"Alice, are you sure you want to stay in Wonderland longer than you have too? Last I knew you wanted to leave as soon as possible." Despite what he said earlier Jack was still trying to dissuade her. He was just worried for them. He didn't know about Hatter's family and that they'd more than likely be safe. Part of her wished she could tell him the truth but she knew that wasn't possible.

"I just want to do this for Charlie before I leave. I won't have a chance to come back once you close the Looking Glass and I'd like to try and repay him for what he's done. After all if it wasn't for him distracting the Suits we never would have escaped the Casino."

Her reason might have been a convenient one but that didn't make it any less sincere. She really did want to help Charlie and she knew Hatter felt the same. Besides owing Charlie for his help in saving her, she knew Hatter felt strongly about the Kingdom of the Knights. During the short time they'd stayed there, he'd looked at the buildings with awe as if he couldn't believe it was real. He wouldn't be able to see the city fully restored but he could help get that restoration started.

Diane nodded in agreement. "That is true. If the Suits hadn't been distracted, I never would have been able to get you out of the Eye room, Jack."

"Yes," Jack agreed. "Which is why I'm helping Charlie restart the Knights."

An awkward silence filled the room. Normally in this situation, Hatter was the one to fill the silence. True to his word Hatter hadn't once stepped in to try and help her with this. Other than asking for information on her father he had stayed quiet.

She tried to think of something relevant they could talk about. She hadn't heard anything about the Looking Glass since Jack had come to the Tea House a few days ago. "How are things going with the Looking Glass? Is it working yet?"

"The technicians tell me it should be operational some time tomorrow." Jack said. "I had planed on having you return first, but now that you plan on traveling to the White Side, we'll begin returning the other Oysters immediately."

"How long do you think it will take to send everyone home?" she asked. She needed to know how much time they had to spend on the White Side.

"That's hard to say." he explained. "Each Oyster will be sent back as close to the time of their abduction as the mirror will allow. We'll begin sending back those who have been here the shortest amount of time. They should return within hours of their disappearance. Returning those who have been here longer will take considerably more time. We have to come up with legitimate reasons for their disappearance and insure they still have homes to return to."

Diane spoke up. "Only the White Rabbits are trained in the customs of your world. The number of Oysters in need of such services far outweigh the number of available Rabbits. Depending on how difficult it is to return the Oysters it could take weeks, even months to return everyone."

Behind them the office doors swung open. Charlie entered the room with a noisy clanking of armor. "You requested my presence, your grace." he said with a low bow. He straightened and smiled when he saw her. "Just Alice, I had heard word that you were in the palace."

She and Hatter both stood, and Charlie enveloped her in a warm hug. Hatter offered Charlie his seat and moved to lean against the far wall. She'd never seen him act this way and frankly it bothered her. She understood that he didn't want to talk about this with anyone but that didn't mean he had to be rude. She was sure everyone else could tell he didn't want to be there and that was only making things more awkward.

Diane was quick to explain the situation to Charlie. He reached out and clasped her hands between his, clearly elated with the news. "This is a wondrous coincidence. Just this very morning during my daily meditation, I had a vision of the kingdom, move vibrant and alive then ever before. Now here you are taking up the task of procuring the means to make that vision reality. Surly it is a sign of blessing for your journey and your insured success!"

"We'll do our best Charlie but don't get your hopes up too high. Try to keep those spirits of yours in line will ya?" Hatter said, finally joining in the conversation.

"Sir Charles," said Jack. "What exactly must Alice and Hatter do?"

Charlie seemed unable to contain his excitement. "Why the task couldn't be more simple. Just Alice and her Harbinger must journey to the city of Pearlivory and bring with them notice of what the Red Side is willing to contribute towards rebuilding. If the Oracles of the White Queen agree to match the Red Side contributions, then we can begin rebuilding immediately."

"Oracles?"

"Those who speak for the White Queen." Jack explained. "The White side has no royal court as we do. Instead, the Oracles speak the will of the White Queen and the government holds the people to that will."

She wondered if Jack knew what he was talking about. Learning of White Side government could have been a requirement among the royals. Of course, if he was wrong, Hatter would let her know later when they were alone.

"And they should agree to help, right? You don't think they'll be angry at the Red Side for destroying the Kingdom of the Knights in the first place?"

Charlie smiled down at her. "You needn't worry about that. I'm sure they will positively cheer at the knowledge that the Queen of Hearts has been overthrown. And who better to deliver such news then Alice of Legend herself."

"It's in the best interest of everyone to have the Kingdom of the Knights restored." Diane stated softly. "I don't imagine you know, but neutral ground is necessary for maintaining peace. Not only between the Sides but between the Queens as well. Before the Hearts went to war with the Knights, the Red King made decisions for all of Wonderland. Ideally once the Kingdom of the Knights is restored, a new King will be appointed and balance will be restored."

"What will happen to the White and Red Sides? Will you still be king, Jack?"

"Yes," he answered. "The Queens still won't talk to each other so myself and the White Oracles will still rule over our respected Sides. The new King of the Knights will settle disputes between the Queens and he and the Knights will protect both sides and keep the peace between the two. Once there is a neutral ruler again, there can be some small amount of contact between the Sides."

It looked like Diane was becoming upset with all this talk. The subject clearly stirring emotions in her. "It's a way to ensure White and Red don't war with each other. Too many lose their lives when that happens."

"If there was no King and no knights, what kept the sides from going to war?" she asked.

"I can't honestly tell you." Jack admitted. "The White Side never moved against us. My mother kept a close eye on our borders but no army ever tried to invade or intervene for that matter. I don't know if it's the same for the White, but I know we can't go to war without the permission of the Red Queen herself."

She didn't know how the Queens talked to people but they were all speaking like it was completely natural. She made a mental note to ask Hatter about that later."And the Red Queen gave permission to go to war with the Knights?"

"That is what my family said, yes. I, however, have no proof that it did or did not happen."Charlie nodded in agreement. "It's not unlikely the Hearts chose to War with us without permission. Forgive me, your majesty, but your family has not always upheld tradition."

"No offense taken Charles. What's done is done, all we can do now is work towards preventing future mistakes." Jack rose from his seat, Diane and Charlie both following his lead. She stood with them, not wanting to be the only one still seated. "I'll draw up the paperwork for you to present to the White Side, and send it in the morning along with the Scarab who will take you to the border. I'll also send along a token of good faith. That should insure you receive a warm welcome when you arrive at the palace there."

Before she realized it, Hatter was at her side. "We'll try not to be too long, but if the White Siders ask us to stay for one reason or another, it would be rude to reject the hospitality."

"Very well," Jack said, "It's best not to be rude. Just be gone no longer than a week, or I'll send a scouting party after you."

Hatter took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. "Thanks for the concern, but we'll be fine."

Jack walked around his desk and stood next to Hatter. "If you three would excuse us, I have a bit of business to discuss with Hatter."

"Sir Charles, perhaps you would could show Alice and I the progress the knights are making." Diane opened the door motioning for she and Charlie to follow.

Hatter squeezed her hand. "That sounds interesting, luv. You go on ahead and I'll join you shortly."

She followed Diane and Charlie out of the room. Hatter didn't seem nervous and she had no reason to believe they were talking about anything other than business. Still she couldn't help but worry about him.

Charlie proudly showed off his best knights. They marched, performed drills, and even engaged in sword play, happy to perform for their future Queen and Alice of Legend. Hatter joined them half way through the demonstration, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close.

"Is everything all right?" she whispered.

He nodded but didn't take his eyes off the practicing knights. "Yeah, I'll tell you later."

Hatter was still quiet and withdrawn after they left the palace. They returned home and he said they needed to start packing for this trip and finish sorting out his things and decide what they would take to her world.

"As soon as we get back from the White Side, we'll only have a day before we need to leave for your world." he said, rummaging through the closet and pulling out suitcases and duffel bags.

She took one of the bags from him and started pulling clothes out and packing them away. "Is that what you and Jack talked about? Our time-line for leaving?"

"Yeah, a bit. He just needs me to be on the other side as soon as the Oysters are all returned. He's worried about getting the word out to those who might want to return home. You know, that and..."

He trailed off and she turned to find him staring at her, hat in hand, eyes downcast. "Hatter, what is it?"

He sat on the bed and rested his elbows on his knees. "You don't _really_ want to go looking for your father's family do you?"

She joined him on the bed. "Maybe... I mean, I don't know. I don't want to cause trouble."

He seemed to be thinking deeply, twirling his hat. "It won't be that hard, we can do it without drawing attention. Five missing scholars isn't something that happens all the time. It should be in the public records what happened to them. We might even be able to find out your dad's real name and a little about his family."

"If you think it would be ok."

"Yeah," he said, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to it. "I think it'll be fine. I'm good at finding things out ya know."

The rest of the night boiled down to a question and answer session. While they packed she tried to get him to tell her more about his family and how things ran on the White Side. She didn't want to overwhelm him and tried to even out the family questions with some about Wonderland in general.

He still seemed reluctant to talk about family things. She steered clear of anything that might involve his father and stuck to safe questions. What she'd gotten out of him had been enough to quite her curiosity. She learned he had two brothers and two sisters, all older then him. There was Kenny, Katy, Karen, and Keith.

"So how did you get the name David?"

"I know." he said flipping through the stack of books she'd pulled out for him. "Pretty obvious who the black sheep of the family was, huh." He handed her three books and she tucked them away in the bag she was packing. "My mom named me David. She said she always liked that name."

She moved to his side and rested her head on his shoulder. "She was right, David's a great name."

"Thanks." he said and pressed a kiss in her hair.

"Regardless, five kids is still a big family. I'm an only child. I can't imagine living with that many siblings."

"That must be nice." he said with a snorting little laugh. "Dad didn't want that many kids, but he needed two sons to pass the family business on to. There weren't supposed to be any more kids after Keith was born."

"Oh, so you were a surprise."

"No I was an accident, one my father would have rather gotten rid of. Kathy and Karen weren't supposed to be born let alone a third sun."

The 'gotten rid of' part scared her a little. She didn't really know how people dealt with unwanted pregnancy in Wonderland, but she was sure it wasn't humane. "That's terrible."

He shrugged it off. "It's just the way things were, it's no big deal."

But it was and she knew it. He'd spoken with too much emotion earlier for it to not be a big deal. There was nothing she could do to erase the hurt his father had caused him but she'd do her best to protect him from it when they went back.

He was looking down at his books but she could tell he wasn't really looking at them anymore. Maybe that was enough of the family talk for tonight. She needed to find a safe topic.

"So I'm surprised that you don't have a copy of Alice in Wonderland in that collection of yours." It was a statement said to be funny and lighten the mood a bit. She'd expected a smile but not a answer.

"Not something I'd keep on hand. Those are more girl stories, ya know."

"Not really," she said confused at his statement. "I mean the main character is a girl but I always thought it was pretty genderless."

"Oh you're kidding me, my sisters used to gush over how brave Alice was and how romantic the stories were."

"Hatter, the Alice in the book was just a little girl, there's not a lot of romance in that story."

He leaned back against the bookcase and studied her. The look was a familiar one, he was trying to puzzle out whatever ridiculous thing she had said. "I don't...What's the story that you know?"

Surprising as it was, she'd never read Alice in Wonderland past the first few chapters. Her father was supposed to finish reading it to her the night he disappeared and she never could bring herself to finish it without him. She'd seen the movie so she had a general idea what the book was about and she was pretty sure he wasn't looking for any in-depth details.

"Alice falls down a rabbit hole and she wanders around in Wonderland trying to find her way home. I think she ends up in the Queen of Hearts court but then she wakes up and it was all a dream."

"Yeah, you and I aren't talking about the same thing."

It wasn't too surprising that the Wonderland version of the Alice story was different. Chances were both were based on fact but the story was changed by the person who'd written it down. "Whats the story here?"

"Well people here on the Red Side only know of one Alice, the one from a hundred some years ago. I'm not sure if she's the same one you're talking about though. I'm pretty sure she was older then yours."

"And what about the White Side?"

"Well, the White Side has more stories about Alice. Like I said, I always thought they were girly stories so I don't pay much attention. But, I do know that unlike the Oyster story or the Red Side's Alice, the stories of the White Side have multiple Alices."

"Really? How many?"

"I don't remember. I do know it was a pretty thick book and each story was about a different Alice."

"So I'm just one in a long line of girls named, Alice?" He looked away from her, the smile on his lips disappearing. "Hatter?"

"Yeah, something like that." His smile returned. "I like you best of all. In my opinion, you're definitely the best Alice." He set aside the stack of book he'd decided not to keep. "Come on, let's get this finished. It's getting late and I'm already sick of packing."

By the end of the night they'd managed to squeeze most of what he wanted to keep into three good sized suitcases. A lot of his things would be left behind but he assured her he didn't care. He had enough time before the closing of the Looking Glass that he could come back and get anything he'd forgotten.

He insisted that he wasn't going to come back though. "It'll be too dangerous. Our luck isn't the best and I'm not going to take the chance of anything happening to the mirror to make it inactive. Last thing we need is for one of us to be stranded without the other."

He set aside the suitcases destined for her world and the two bags they would take to the White Side.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked. "We could go down to the lake if you like. There aren't a lot of bugs this time of year, so it should be peaceful."

"Yeah, that sounds nice. I'd like to see it from the shore and not be hurdling towards it from fifteen stories up."

"Really?" he said, flashing her a genuine smile. "Here I was going to suggest we go for a swim."

"Ha ha, very funny." she said as she slipped on her shoes.

They left the Tea House and Hatter started leading her to the inner city. She was getting more acquainted with the landscape and knew that this way was taking them away from the lake and not toward it.

"Why are we going this way? The lake's the opposite direction."

He kept walking, still heading into the city. "We can get to the lake by going this way. It's a little out of the way, but we wont have to walk on those bridges you hate so much."

She stopped walking and tugged on his arm, leading him back they way they came. "It's ok, I don't mind the bridges anymore. If it's quicker, lets just go that way."

He allowed her to lead him. "Since when? The last time we crossed a bridge, you almost crushed my hand."

"Yeah, I know it's strange. When I was out looking for you the other day, I kind of lost some of my fear."

"Honestly?"

They were walking toward one of the high bridges now. The level of the city they were on was only five or six stories high. This bridge was heavier and didn't sway nearly as much as the ones in the Upperlevels.

"Well, it's still scary, being this high up. But it's not overpowering. It's like..." she paused trying to find the right words to describe what she felt. "I'm still uneasy being so high, but I'm ok with it."

They crossed the bridge and sure enough, she didn't freak out or tense up. He seemed more tense than she did. Then again, she couldn't blame him considering how she reacted in the past.

The arm he had draped over her shoulder pulled her closer as they walked away from the bridge. "Well that's brilliant. I'm proud of you, Kettle."

They headed down a long wrought iron staircase that took them to ground level. She couldn't tell where they were at this point. It was dark here but she could see the last remnants of daylight off in the distance. They weren't in the city anymore, the buildings around them had no doors or windows and were likely foundations and not actual buildings. The ground here was rough terrain and there were a lot of strange looking plants. There were a few particularly nasty ones that had big thorns and burrs. Hatter walk in front of her and tried to steer her clear of most of it but her legs couldn't help but get scratched a little. She was thankful when they finally found a well worn foot path.

The light was dwindling as they emerged from under the city. If it wasn't for the surrounding forest they would have made it just in time to see the sunset. The shore was rocky and littered with driftwood and other debris washed up from the storm last night.

He took her hand and they walked up the shoreline. He told her how the city had actually been built in the center of the lake and that the Island it was built on had been completely overtaken by the city. The only thing left from the original island were the plants that covered the ground level and climbed around the upperlevels.

They headed toward a large log and sat down. Sitting in silence, they watched the sky change from light shades of pink and purple to blue as the sunlight faded. She though about everything that had happened today. It was strange, just this morning she was planning on going home and now tomorrow, she'd be heading off to the White Side instead. At least they'd been able to convince Jack to let them go and they hadn't blown Hatter's cover either.

"So what was with you today? Why did you act so... standoffish when we were at the palace."

He picked up a stone and flipped it over between his fingers. "I was afraid to say anything. I've spent so many years pretending I know nothing about the White Side that it's really hard to talk about it. I could have chimed in at any point during that conversation, but I'd have no way to explain how I knew such things."

He stood and skipped the stone across the water. "Better to stay silent then give myself away, yeah?"

"I put you in an awkward position didn't I? Maybe I should have gone to see Jack myself?"

"Na, it would have looked strange if I wasn't there with you. Everything turned out ok, so there's no harm done."

He kicked at the rocks, looking for another one flat enough to skip. "I'm more worried about the fact that we're relying on my memory to get us to the city. It has been fifteen years after all."

She stood and brushed the dirt off the back of her dress. "I'm sure we'll find our way, it'll be an adventure."

"Oh come on, haven't you had enough excitement to last a life time?"

She picked up a stone and skipped it across the water. "Maybe not. Ask me again at the end of the week."

_A/n_

_Wow, talk about a chapter running away. This wasn't supposed to be this long. Every time I thought I was done, I'd think of something else to add. I'm very excited about next weeks chapter! A little hint, a new character gets added to the story and no, it's not a member of Hatters family. Its an character from the original book who was sadly glossed over in the mini series. If anyone guesses right, I'll pm you and let you know._


	23. The Cheshire

Cheshire

The morning had been hectic. Hatter started by dragging Alice up and out of bed before dawn, a feat in and of itself. While she showered, he hurried down to Lettie's to tell her he was leaving and to offer her the chance to return with him if she wanted. She declined, like he knew she would.

"_You know I can't go back. If your father or Kenny decided too, they could have me arrest me for breaking the marriage contract. Besides, Rose is too young to manage the shop on her own."_

Honestly, he didn't want her to go back. She was safer staying in the Red side and there was no convenient way of explaining why Lettie would need to accompany them. She did write a letter for him to deliver to her parents. He promised he'd do so and tucked the letter away in his pocket.

He returned home to find Alice fussing with her hair, not even dressed yet. He rushed her along before carrying their bags downstairs. They packed as light as they could, they'd be walking most of the trip and didn't want to be loaded down. A large duffel bag held their clothes and a smaller side bag was packed with food and water.

Dormie had been following him around since he'd gotten back, pestering him about the shop and his leaving for the White Side.

"Boss are you sure about this? What if you catch some exotic disease over there. I've heard they have diseases that turn your skin green and make you grow worts all over your body."

It was statements like that Hatter found exhausting. It was all right that Dormie was concerned but honestly, some of the things he came up with were absurd.

"I'll be fine Dormie. I'm more worried about you burning the place down while I'm gone." He hurried over to the apartment door. "Alice, hurry up! They'll be here soon!"

"I still can't believe you've been living upstairs all this time. You could have told me you know."

He'd told Dormie about the apartment the same time he told him he was selling him the shop. "I already told you, I didn't want anyone to know where I live. Besides, you keep secrets like a colander holds water."

He listened for any sign Alice was coming. When he heard nothing, he sighed and headed up the stairs.

"Can I come see it?" asked Dormie, walking up the first few steeps.

"No," he replied. "It's still mine until I'm in the Oyster world for good. You keep out of it till then."

He didn't bother to make sure Dormie wasn't following him, he knew his partner well enough to know he wouldn't. He also knew the moment he and Alice left, Dormie would be up here snooping about. He wouldn't steal anything but he'd likely make himself at home.

He entered the apartment and found Alice standing in her underwear, staring blankly into the closet. "Alice, we have to go."

She looked panicked and he had no idea why. "I don't know," she said glancing at him before flipping through her things. "I have no idea what I should wear."

"Preferably clothes." he said pulling a green dress out and handing it to her. She took it gingerly and held it up against her body. She shook her head and hung the dress back up.

"I'm going to meet your parents, Hatter. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression."

"Alice, it doesn't matter. You're going to be walking all day, we're both going to look like hell by the time we reach the city. There's no guarantee we'll even find my parents at all, let alone find them today. Just put anything on."

"Hatter, it matters. I've never met a boyfriend's parents before, I'm nervous."

"How do you think I feel? I haven't seen them in fifteen years. We're on equal ground you know." He watched as she pulled out a tan colored frock dress. The color was just dark enough that it would hide any dirt or dust they picked up while traveling. She pressed the dress to her front and looked at him for approval.

"I think that'll be fine, just hurry. And don't forget to wear sensible shoes." he called back to her as he headed downstairs.

Just as the Scarab arrived Alice finally came downstairs, fully dressed and ready to go. He handed her the side bag and tossed the duffel bag over his shoulder.

"Should we tell him we're leaving?" she asked, motioning to Dormie. He'd fallen asleep leaning against the doorway.

"Na, let him sleep. He knows we're leaving."

Ten met them as they boarded the Scarab. He presented Alice with a envelope, complete with royal wax seal, and an ornate box that must have been the 'token of good will' Jack had spoken of. Alice accepted both and they took their seats.

He watched out the window as the city disappeared from view and was replaced by endless forest. He tried to remember the exact path he'd taken from the White Side all those years ago, but came up blank. He'd been scared and had allowed James to lead them to the Red Side.

He wished he'd payed more attention, then again, he never thought he'd need to remember. Going back home had never been an option before. Alice, he noted, was paying avid attention to the path the Scarab was taking. She wasn't the type to sit back and enjoy the ride or be lead blindly. She was doing what he should have done fifteen years ago, paying attention.

Flying made her nervous, but she'd ridden in Scarabs so often it was becoming second nature. This Scarab was larger then the ones used to move around the city and the cabin was open with no separation between the passengers and the pilots. She could see a lot of the navigation instruments from her seat and saw they were heading southeast.

Jack explained that there was a small outpost here that kept watch of the border. The Suits stationed here would be expecting them back in seven days and if they didn't make it back, a scouting party would be sent out to find them. She didn't want to complicate relations between the sides by getting lost and not making it back in time. If for some reason they couldn't meet up with the Suits, she needed to be able to find her way back. Hatter insisted he could find their way just fine but she had her doubts. After all, it had been a long time since he'd traveled out this far.

They'd been flying for about an hour when she saw a break in the forest. A large clearing spread in either direction separating the forest in half. The flat grasses of the field were separated in neat squares of dark and light green, alternating in a checker board style and disappeared under either side of the forest.

"Hatter, what is that?"

The sound of her voice shook him from his thoughts. "What's, what?"

"That," she said, pointing at the field.

"Oh, that. It's the border between the Sides."

"And its checkered because..."

"It's just something leftover from the Queens' games. They used to like making people cross from one side to the other. Of course, once they stopped talking and the Red Queen built her side, the games stopped. The knights took the center of the field and built their kingdom there."

"Is that why all the buildings looked like chess pieces?"

"Of course." he said with a smile. "It would be silly to build regular buildings on a chess field."

The Scarab landed and a small party of Suits escorted them from the Red Side forest to the middle of the checkered field. The Suits watched them as the crossed the rest of the field and onto White Side territory.

Immediately she saw the differences between this forest and the one they just flew over. Here, the trees were incredibly tall and thick, much older than the other side. The foliage of this side was brighter and more tropical. There were mushrooms too, some as tall as the trees and others more moderate in size. The mushrooms were all different colors, some were gray and brown but most were blazing colors of blue, pink, and orange.

There was a path leading into the forest, which was strange considering the White Side had no patrols or protection for their side of the border. The further they walked, the more color seemed to take over the forest. Flowers sprouted everywhere in bright yellows, deep reds and purples.

She held Hatter's arm while they walked, trusting him to lead her while she took in the scenery. She could hear birds singing high up in the canopy and it mingled with the steady hum of insects. She wondered what kind of animals lived here?

"Hatter, is there a jabberwock here?"

"Thankfully no," he replied. "The Red Queen took most of the large predators with her. The worst we have here are toves. They're like badgers, only bigger, with large claws and scales instead of fur."

She tried to visualize what a tove would look like. What she came up with didn't seem a better option than a jabberwock. "Are they dangerous? Should we be keeping an eye out for them?"

"No, they're nocturnal, and vegetarians as far as I know." He stopped walking and was looking around her shoulder. "What's that in your hair?"

She looked down at her shoulder and saw a black and purple tuft of fur mixed in with her hair. Instinctively, she flinched and quickly tried to brush away the bug or whatever this thing was.

"Not so rough please. I'm trying to enjoy the ride you know."

Hatter was at her side in an instant, his face pale as he roughly flipped through her hair, trying to find the talking ball of fluff. "Get off! Don't touch her!" His panic was obvious in the way his voice rose an octave and he shouted into her hair.

The smooth, deep voice spoke again, this time coming from the forest around them. "Now Davey, there's no need to shout."

"Shit!" He pushed her behind him and started walking them backwards, trying to get away from where ever this voice was coming from.

"What's going on?" She looked around as they backed away trying to find whoever was talking to them. "Who are you?"

"Don't talk to it! Maybe if we ignore him..."

"I'll do what, go away?" The voice came from behind them now and Hatter spun around keeping her behind him as he did.

Looking past his shoulder she could see what they were trying to get away from. It was a large cat, about twice the size of a normal house cat. It's coat was black with hints of gray and oddly enough, bright purple stripes. The creature craned his neck to look at her and smiled, showing off two rows of sharp teeth.

"Is that a Cheshire cat?" she whispered, low enough that she hoped only Hatter could hear her.

"Oh no my dear," he said, his smile stretching further towards his green eyes. "I'm _The_ Cheshire cat. The only one, you know. Tell me Davey, who's your pretty friend?"

Hatter's hands were fisted at his sides and his whole body was tense. "She's none of your business."

The cat sat up on his hind legs and pointed a clawed digit at Hatter. "Oh but she is my business because _you_ are my business." he waved his paw at her, beckoning her to come forward. "Come around him girl so I can look at you fully."

Hatter pushed her further behind him, walking her back a few steps. "Her name's... Susan, she's my girlfriend and I'd like it if you left her alone."

"Really? She doesn't look like a Susan."

He was gone from her vision faster than she could blink. "Where did he go?" she whispered.

"She looks more like..." he was behind them again, this time running the length of his body across her legs and grinning up at her. "An Alice."

Hatter spun her back around and away from the Cheshire. "She's not, leave her alone." He tried to kick the cat but it quickly vanished and reappeared a few feet away.

"How dare you lash out at me! And after the kindness I showed to you, ungrateful mongrel." Cheshire's grin fell into a snarl and his green eyes focused on Hatter. He stalked forward slowly, each paw digging sharp claws into the dirt. "You didn't come see me before you left. What gave you the right to leave the White Side?"

Suddenly Hatter was knocked sideways and into a nearby tree. He met the wood hard with his back and right shoulder.

"Hatter!" She tried to run to him but found she couldn't move. There were thick vines wrapped around her feet and calves. "Let me go!"

"Don't struggle, Alice, just stay put. Davey and I need to have words." The Cheshire glanced back at her, a toothy grin back in place. "Or should I call him Hatter? Odd that he's chosen that name, don't you think?"

"Leave him alone!"

"Oh you needn't worry, I wont hurt him. I wouldn't want to upset you." He walked over to Hatter, his long, fluffy tale swishing as he went. She bent down and tried to loosen the vines off her feet but they were like steel.

Hatter was leaning back against the tree recovering after having the wind knocked out of him. As the Cheshire stalked closer vines wrapped around his his hands, holding him against the tree. He struggled against his bonds. His left hand was held firmly in place but his right managed to pull forward and stretched the vines away from the tree.

"Use that hand against me, and I'll rip your arm off." Hatter immediately relaxed his hand and the vine pulled it back tightly against the tree. "I'm waiting for an answer boy. It was rude of you to leave without getting my permission."

"I'm not a child anymore, I don't answer to you, cat." He was acting brave, but the slight waver in his voice gave him away. He was scared. She didn't blame him, this thing seem incredibly powerful.

"I see you've grown a backbone but you're still as dense as the day you left." Cheshire hissed. "And whether you like it or not, you're still nothing but a thief."

The vines pulled tighter on his wrist and snapped his shoulders back, causing him to yelp in pain. She fought against her bonds with renewed vigor. "Stop hurting him!"

At her cry, the vines holding Hatter loosened. The cat glanced at her before rolling his head back and grinning down at Hatter. "But I suppose I should forgive you. After all you did bring me back _my_ Alice."

Cheshire turned his back on Hatter and as he did, the vines retreated back, releasing Hatters wrist and her feet. Hatter was on his feet in an instant. They both moved towards each other but Hatter was stopped by some invisible force. She reached out and found a solid wall of air between them.

The cat was at her legs again, rubbing his head against her. She resisted the urge to kick him and stepped back. She had no control over this... whatever this thing was. She didn't want to be the next one thrown against a tree. Her heart was pounding against her chest and she felt completely helpless.

"Why are you doing this? Just leave us alone." She tried to keep calm but even she heard the panic in her voice.

"Theres no reason to be frightened, Alice. I'd never hurt you." Cheshire looked up at her, tilting his head in an unnatural angle. "Didn't you miss me? I missed you terribly."

"I'm not that Alice, you don't know me."

He blinked away and suddenly he was in her arms. He was now the size of a small house cat, his paws rested lightly on her chest and his bright green eyes stared unblinkingly up at her. "Oh but I do know you, I know you better then you know yourself. I've been waiting for your return."

He butted her chin with his head and tucked his face against her neck, purring loudly. Suddenly he pulled back. "You don't smell like you, you smell like him."

He jumped from her arms and padded over to Hatter, slowly growing back to his normal size. "You've taken _my_ Alice as _your_ mate. Why that's splendid! And now you've brought her back home to spawn! Oh you are such a very good boy!"

The cat twirled in a circle then bounded quickly and landed at her feet. "When you have your first litter, can I have one of your pups?" He clasped his paws together and held then up to his face. "I'll take a female and name her Little Alice! Oh please say yes! I'll take ever such good care of her."

Hatter banged his fist against the invisible wall. "Oi! We don't have litters because we're _not_ animals. Now get away from her or..."

Cheshire waved his paw and suddenly she couldn't hear Hatter speaking anymore. "Be quiet child, the grownups are speaking."

"What do you want with us?" she asked, not knowing what else to do.

"Alice, I told you, I missed you. You have no idea how happy I am that you've returned. You mean more to me than anything."

He was just toying with them. For everything he'd done, he hadn't really hurt either of them. If this cat thought she was the other Alice, maybe it would be better not to correct him. "It doesn't seem like you like me. You've hurt Hatter and you're keeping us apart."

Cheshire flopped on the ground and rolled onto his back. "Oh but I do. The only reason Davey's still alive is because you care for him. I wouldn't want to upset you by killing your mate."

The cat righted himself and she watched as his fur grew long around his face and mimicked her hairstyle. One paw was drawn up close to his chest and the other held out at his side as if he was going to break into song. "I love my love with an H because he is handsome, heroic, and honest."

He was speaking with her voice now and she found the whole thing disturbing. "Stop that."

His fur returned to normal and he crossed his arm over his chest in a very human like manner. "Oh I know. He's really none of those things." He leaned in closer, putting his paw to his mouth as if to whisper, but didn't lower his voice any. "But don't tell him that. He was always a sensitive child and it doesn't seem that he's outgrown it."

Cheshire started walking away as if he was going to leave. Hatter was still pressing on the barrier, trying to find a way through.

She called after the cat. "Could you take this wall down?"

"If it pleases you."

Suddenly, Hatter fell to the ground, the wall no longer holding him up. He scrambled to his feet and she hurried to help him up. "Are you ok?"

"Oh he's fine." Cheshire said, now laying lazily on a tree branch. "I didn't hurt him in the slightest."

Hatter stomped over towards the tree. "Didn't hurt me? You slammed me against a tree and almost ripped my arms off!"

"But I didn't!" he cried, pounding his paw against the limb like a child. "I could explode your insides right now if I like, and you know it. If she didn't care about you so, I'd have done it already, you mongrel thief."

Hatter seemed to give up on arguing and quickly retrieved their duffel bag. He grabbed her by the elbow and started walking her quickly away.

"Now let's talk more of pups. I now think I should like two..."

"We are not staying! We're only here on business." Hatter continued his quick pace down the path, not pausing to listen to Cheshire.

The Cheshire popped up along the path. "Alice, tell him you want to stay this time. Make him see reason. You will stay wont you? Oh please! I'll make you so very happy. You won't want for anything."

The thought that this thing might be powerful enough to make her stay scared her. Maybe letting him think she was the other Alice had been a bad idea. "I'm not _your_ Alice and I don't want to stay. We're going to do what we have to do here then we're going back to my world."

Cheshire's ears went flat against his head and his paws covered his eyes. "But... you mustn't go. I'll be so lonely without you!" He started sniffling and crying, long streams of tears flowing from his eyes.

"Live lonely then." Hatter spat as they walked past.

"I suppose," Cheshire said, appearing in a tree before them, sniffing and making a show of wiping his nose. "Your poor mother and I will have to comfort each other. Losing our little ones and being all alone..."

Hatter rushed towards the tree and punched the trunk with his right hand. The tree vibrated with the impact, violently shaking the branch the cat sat on. Cheshire was distracted with his mock crying and almost fell from the branch. Before he hit the ground he disappeared in a puff of gray smoke and reappeared on her shoulder, small enough to hide under her hair.

He whispered to her "I'll hide here if you don't mind, he won't hit you."

She'd never seen Hatter this angry before and it scared her a little. "Get off Alice and keep away from my mother!"

"Well someone has to talk to her." Cheshire said, laying lazily across her shoulder. "You never call, never write! Children these days, no respect for their elders."

He spoke those last lines in a woman's voice that was unfamiliar to her. Judging by Hatter's reaction, it must have been his mother's voice.

Hatter reached out to grab the mini cat off her shoulder but he only came away with a fist full of air. The Cheshire was back to normal size and was a few feet away from them down the trail.

She wondered if he planned on following them the whole trip? She really didn't think Hatter would last that long. Cheshire obviously liked her, maybe he'd let them go if he knew that was what she wanted. "This is insane, we have hours of walking and all you're doing is making our day longer. Please, just let us go."

"Silly girl, you're already home." Cheshire swished his tale and the brush and trees parted revealing a cobblestone road leading into a small town.

Hatter stood in wide-eyed shock, staring at the town. Alice stepped past him and out onto the road, testing to see if it was real. "Hatter said we were hours away from the city."

Cheshire followed her winding through her feet as she walked. "I wouldn't let you walk the whole way, think of how tired you would be."

She looked down to see him sitting at her feet, smiling up at her.

"Well... thank you."

"If you wish to thank me, you can always give me a good scratch behind the ear. I do love that."

Despite the tricks he played and how horribly he treated Hatter, she found herself giving in to the odd feline. She knelt down and indulged him by scratching behind his left ear.

"Alice, please," Hatter grabbed her hand, pulling it away from Cheshire. "You'll only encourage him."

"I do hate to leave you two but I have business to attend to. It's not easy being a national treasure you know. I'll be sure to come back as soon as possible. Oh and Davey," Cheshire began slowly fading away disappearing patches of black fur first, followed by purple until nothing was left but two glowing green eyes and a smile. "You might think yourself off limits because you've gained my Alice's affections, but remember, I still own you."

"What does he mean, he owns you?"

Hatter looked out over the town, his eyes focused on the buildings. "Nothing, he thinks he's a god or something and we lowly humans are just animals. Don't listen to a word he says."

"Off the road!"

Hatter pulled her off to the side of the road and out of the way of the passing vehicle. Two horses slowly pulled a rickety wooden cart loaded down with hay. The driver tipped his hat to them and Hatter responded in the same manner.

"Are you sure we can't just turn around and go home? There's no shame in quitting, yeah."

She shook her head and pulled him along, heading into town. "I think it's a little late to go back."

He reluctantly followed her. "We could go to the city first, ya know, do the whole ambassador thing. We can always go looking for my family later."

"Hatter, we just need to get this over with. Just trust me. It's like a band-aid, the faster you pull it off, the less pain there is."

"I don't know what a band aid is, but I think I get the gist of it."

A/n

Well, there you have it. I've been wanting to write the Cheshire cat for months now. I know when my husband read this his reaction to Cheshire was "Man, that guy's a douchebag! I cant believe you spent so much time on him and that's what you came up with." Believe me, there's more to our feline friend then meets the eye. He and Hatter go back a long, long way. You'll just have to wait and find out what up with those two. Don't forget to review and let me know what you think of him, good or bad.

Also if your curious, the Maine Coon is the base I used for my description of my Cheshire cat. A Google search should give you plenty of images.


	24. Home again, home again

Home again, home again

He lead them along the side roads, not wanting to walk through town. Everything here was familiar and even though it had been fifteen years, not much had changed. The closer they got to his childhood home, the tighter his stomach twisted. Part of him wished they wouldn't find his parents. It had been a long time, it wasn't unreasonable that they would have moved.

It was strange that this simple act of returning home scared him so much. It was facing up to what he'd done and the very real chance of rejection that scared him the most. What must they think of him? Did they even want him back?

How could he be anything but a disappointment? This last week had been great. He was proud to be counted among those who had taken down the Queen of Hearts and ended the abuse of the Oysters. It was a huge accomplishment but in the end, it didn't make up for all the wrongs he had done.

What was he going to tell his mother? He would have to fluff the truth. There was no way he could tell her that he'd lived on the streets for most of his teenage years or that he'd been conning people for a living. There was no comfort in the fact that his situation only changed because he started selling human emotions, to which he'd had a small addiction himself until a few years ago.

He'd just have to play it by ear. He knew Alice wouldn't like it if he lied too much. She'd want him to be honest and probably give him some speech about acceptance. Which was easy for her to say. His Alice was squeaky clean and a hero. She was the only good thing he had going for him, at least they'd be impressed with her.

"You do know where we're going right?" she asked.

"Of course I do. I lived here for thirteen years, Alice. I could find my way around blindfolded." That wasn't entirely true, but it sounded good. Of course she had no way of knowing if he was telling the truth or not. If he really wanted to get out of this all he had to do was lead her to a home that wasn't his and say his parents must have moved. He could take her on a wild goose chase for hours and eventually she'd let him give up.

They were only a mile away from his house. In fact, he could see hill that lead up to his home from here. When he was very young he remembered his mother telling him that if he ever got lost, he just had to look for the hill and move towards it. The valley the town was in was flat ground and the area his home was built on was the only rise in landscape for miles.

The sight of it made him nervous and he seriously started thinking of leading Alice astray. The only problem with that plan was her stubbornness. She'd likely knock on every door in the White Side until she found his mother. If he let her get anywhere near close to that kind of desperation, and she did find out he lied to her, he'd be in for a world of hurt. He'd rather face the Red Queen herself than an angry Alice. Which meant there was no getting out of this.

He stopped when they arrived at the bottom of the hill, and he felt a deep sense of dread as he looked up the road leading towards home.

"Is this it?" she asked, stopping along side of him.

"Yeah, it's just up this hill."

She tugged on his arm. "Are you ready?"

Hell no! There was no part of him that was ready for this. He realized he had no idea what he was going to say if, in fact, his parents were up there. "What do I say?"

She took his hand and lead him forward. "That you missed her, you just... you just say what you feel."

"I feel like throwing up, am I supposed to say that?"

She clearly didn't think that was funny. She took both his hands and pulled them up to her chest. "Look, you just have to remember one thing. You are an adult, you make your own decisions and you don't have to do anything you don't want to. If things go badly, we can leave."

He looked away from her and up the hill but looked back when she tugged on his hands again. "It's going to be ok. I'm here and I'm going to support you and defend you if you need it. I don't think this is going to be nearly as bad as you think."

He wanted to believe her but nothing in his life had ever been that simple. He'd already come this far, there really wasn't any way to back out now. She was right, if things didn't go well he could always just say goodbye and leave.

At the top of the hill, his childhood home was very much unchanged. His mothers garden was as full as ever, beautiful flowers lined the front and her vegetable garden spread along the side yard.

Alice started towards the front door but he pulled her back and lead her around the side of the house. "We never use the front door, don't ask me why. We just always used the side."

The side door was open, the screen door allowing fresh air into the house. Knocking was the hard part. There'd be no turning back once he knocked. As it was, he could turn away now and no one but he and Alice would ever know he was here. Not that Alice would let him run away, but it was nice to pretend he _had_ an option.

One deep breath and four steps later, he was at the door, knocking against the frame. Alice hung back at the bottom of the steps. He listened closely but didn't hear or see any movement from inside. His instinct was to simply open the door and call out to his mom but he knew he'd given up that privilege when he ran away from home. This wasn't his house anymore, he had no right to step inside uninvited.

He looked back at Alice and she motioned for him to knock again. He did so, this time a little harder.

"Just a moment!"

His stomach twisted and his pulse raced. It was his mom. She was here, really here, and in just a moment she would answer the door. What if she didn't recognize him? What if she...

She came into view, head bent down as she wiped her hands on her apron. "What can I do for..." She stopped, frozen still as her eyes met his. For a long moment they just stood there staring at each other.

She looked older, which of course she was. He always remembered looking up to her but now realized she wasn't any taller than Alice. She'd cut her hair as well. It had always been long, hitting just midway down her back. Now it was cut in a short bob, the natural curl free from the wight of longer hair. It was still light brown in color but there were tinges of gray hiding in her curls.

"David?" she said, holding her hand out but not touching anything.

"Hi, mom." His mouth had gone dry and he didn't really know what else to say.

She rushed forward, swinging the door open and throwing her arms around his neck. He returned her embrace immediately, holding her tightly.

"You've come back! I can't believe you've come home." She pressed her face to his neck and he could feel her tears on his skin.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry!" He didn't know what else to say. He missed her so much. He'd spent years pushing away feelings of guilt, and sadness and loneliness. Suddenly all those repressed emotions came bubbling up to the surface and he found himself joining her in tears.

She pulled away so she could study his face. "You're all grown up. When did you get so tall?"

"Somewhere between thirteen and eighteen I'd imagine."

"I just... I can't believe it. I prayed for so long that you'd come back." She wiped her tears away even as new ones fell.

"I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Never mind that." she said wrapping him in another hug. "All that matters is you're here and you're safe. You've come home. Oh I'm so happy you're home."

He was relieved. She'd worried about him and his safety, just like Alice had said. She missed him as much as he had her. Alice was right, it was silly to think she'd be anything but happy to see him.

To Alice, the mother and son reunion was bitter sweet. She wanted this for him and she knew, no matter how he denied it, that he'd waited for this a long time. Honestly, she was happy for him, for both of them. But she couldn't deny her sadness as well. How many nights had she dreamed of this same scene playing out between her and her father? Love, understanding, happy tears, it was all what she should have had when she'd met her father again. Instead, she'd been met with rejection, dishonesty, denial and a deep hurt she'd never be able to forget. There was nothing that would ever let her relive that moment and no option to change what had happened. It was out of her control and something she found extremely hard to except.

Hot tears pricked at her eyes and she fought against them. This wasn't her moment and she had no right to spoil this for Hatter. She pushed thoughts of her father aside and instead focused on Hatter and his happiness. His mother held him, her hands clutching his jacket like she though he might disappear any moment. She was crying and smiling and laughing all at the same time. Alice knew from personal experience that this woman had been waiting for this day a long time.

His mother's chocolate brown eyes focused on her. "And who's this?"

He stepped back and off the porch to stand behind her, gently pushing her towards his mother. "Mom, this is Alice. Alice, this is my mother, Edith."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Temple."

To his mother's credit, she was doing well to contain her excitement. She looked like she was about to burst with how happy she was."On no, no, there's no need to be formal. You can call me Edith or mom or whatever you like."

Edith looked down at their bags. "Oh I've lost my head, how rude of me, come inside." She ushered them inside and into the large kitchen.

Alice looked around the kitchen. It was big but most of the room was taken up by two large wooden tables. The one nearest the door was clearly for dining and set with a bright floral arrangement. The other table was closer to the sink and stove and was scattered with vegetables and other ingredients. She was probably making lunch or maybe dinner when they interrupted her.

Edith didn't seem to care as she continued to fuss over them. "Are you thirsty or hungry or... anything?"

"No, I'm fine." He pulled out a chair and motioned for Alice to sit. "Luv, you thirsty?"

She took the offered seat. "Yeah, a little. It was a long walk."

"Course dear, what would you like?" Edith was offering her an option, but she really didn't know what people drank on this side.

She was afraid of saying something that might sound out of place and stuck with things she knew were safe. "Water would be fine, thanks."

"Are you sure? I could make you some tea, or we have milk or honeymelon juice or..."

"Mom," Hatter interrupted and pointed at the stove. "The pot's boiling over."

Edith rushed over to the stove, grabbing pot holders and removing the pot off the burner. She mumbled something under her breath as she fanned the overheated pot. "Never mind," she said, tossing the oven mitts aside. "You deserve a better welcome home dinner than penten stew anyway."

Hatter took the seat next to her at the table. "Penten's fine mom, I don't care. It's been so long since I've had your cooking, even something you've burnt will taste good."

Edith handed her the water she'd asked for then sat across from Hatter. "Where have you been all this time? I looked everywhere for you. It was like you just disappeared."

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I... left with Lettie and James."

"Well yes, we figured as much. Considering you all disappeared the same night that wasn't too hard to figure out. We just didn't know where you three ran off too."

"I doesn't matter where we were mom. We were all safe and that's what matters, yeah?" Hatter stalled again, clearly not wanting to admit to running away to the Red Side. "You know, Lettie and James did marry."

He was trying too change the subject and steer his mother away from her original question. He did the same thing with her when he wanted to avoid telling her something that was going to upset her. It wasn't lying, but it was the next closest thing.

There was no point in avoiding the truth, it would come out sooner or later. She took Hatter's hand and gave him a warning glare. "What David's trying to say is, that they crossed the border into the Red Side."

"You did what!" Edith exclaimed. "That's madness! If you'd have been caught they would have killed you. The Red Queen has no heart David, and no pity."

"We made it across fine, mom. Don't get upset over something that's already happened."

Edith look back and forth between her and Hatter. "How is it you made it across again? I understand getting lucky once, but twice?"

"It's a long story and..."

"Well I have all day haven't I? I've waited fifteen years to hear this. I deserve an explanation." There was a hint of anger in her voice. The shock of Hatter returning home was wearing off and Edith wanted to know the truth of what had happened.

Edith was looking at her now and for the first time since they'd arrived, she felt uncomfortable. "Are you Red Side then?"

Hatter answered before she could. "She's an Oldworlder. At least I think that's what we used to call them here."

"Alice?" Edith whispered her name like it was a question. "An Oldworlder named Alice. You're... are you the Alice?"

She'd hoped that here she wouldn't have to go through the whole 'Alice' thing. She should have known, considering that Hatter told her Alice was an even bigger legend on this side of Wonderland. "No, I'm not that Alice. It's just a coincidence."

"Really?" Edith was looking to Hatter now, seeking his opinion.

"Well, there's a chance, slightly, she may be _that_ Alice. She did help the monarchy on the Red Side so that fits the criteria."

That was completely unexpected. She'd never actually heard him say he thought she was that Alice and she didn't like it. "But I'm not! I'm noting special and I didn't do anything that wouldn't have been done without me being there."

"Yeah, only if you ignore the fact that none of it would have happened if you hadn't come. The Queen would still be in charge if it wasn't for you."

She couldn't believe he was arguing with her over this. There was no way she was _that_ Alice. How long had he thought this? "The Resistance would have eventually stopped her. I just... made it happen sooner."

Edith rested her chin on her hand, smiling as she watched them argue. "Are you two married then?"

They stopped arguing and she didn't know what to say.

Edith flustered a little, thinking she'd said the wrong thing. "I just figured... I mean, you showed up together and you're both far past the marrying age."

Her first instinct was to deny but she didn't know how Hatter would react to that. It wasn't that being married to him would be terrible, it was just... they weren't and she didn't want to lie. He wasn't saying anything and she had to say something. "No, no were are not married, we're..."

"Courting." he answered. She was thankful he'd finally spoken up. She had no idea what the rules of dating were in Wonderland and she didn't want to say anything for fear of using the wrong words.

"Well, it all sounds very interesting and I'd love to hear about it. Start from the time you left and end a few moments before you came home." She instructed him with the authority only a mother could command.

He started his story from the night he ran away. He talked about the four days it took them to walk to the Red Side and how they crossed the border. He told her how he and James had worked on the streets for money and food. How they did card tricks and slight of hand to make tips. He talked about how he'd won his first shop in a game of poker and that he and James had run a good business before James was killed.

Hiding Lettie, the Resistance, Tea, he told the base details of all of it. Most of it she'd already known, some she hadn't. He was telling his mother the truth but it was truth spun to the positive. His explanation of Tea was a good example. It sounded more like an addictive drink than the drug that it was. He was allowing his mother to draw her own conclusions and guiding her so she saw things in a more positive light.

It wasn't until he got to the part of the story where they first met that he started getting into more detail about things. She'd expected him to make himself out to be the hero but instead he started talking her up. He made her sound like some kind of action hero, describing the way she took out Dodo and fought the Suits. He skipped the part about the Jabberwock but told her about the Kingdom of the Knights and Charlie. He described breaking into the Casino, something she hadn't heard before.

Edith had taken most of the story in stride up to the part about flying flamingos. That part seemed to upset her a bit. "That had to have been dangerous. You could have gotten yourself killed."

"No more dangerous than anything else I'd done up to that point. It was better than being shot at." he argued.

"And poor Alice is scared of heights. Flying on that thing must have been terrifying for you."

"Yeah it was, but knowing how to fly one came in handy. I had to escape from the suits on a flamingo so..."

"You flew a Flamingo? Alone?" Hatter didn't seem to believe her and Edith looked just as shocked as he did.

"I had to, how else was I going to get back to the Casino." Honestly, flying hadn't been that bad. The adrenaline high she was on had overwritten her fear of heights. It actually would have been a nice experience if not for the suit following her.

"Back to the Casino? You mean you left at some point?"

She realized they'd never really talked about what had happened that day. He didn't know that she'd been banished by the Queen. "Yeah, they were trying to send me back home but I got away."

"You're mad! All we were doing was trying to send your ass home! It was the first real chance you got at that and you ran away?" She didn't understand why he was getting so upset about this. He knew things turned out ok in the end. "You had a choice between safety and death, and you chose death?"

"And you don't think you're the Alice?" Edith questioned, effectively stopping her and Hatter from arguing further. "What you did sounds like a very Alice thing to do."

Hatter stared silently at her. She didn't know if it was because he was actually mad at her or if he was just waiting to hear her answer. Maybe there were some similarities between her and the stories of the White Side Alice, but she didn't want to admit to them. "I don't want to be."

There was a moment of silence while each of them seemed to be lost in thought. If the story of his life had upset her any Edith wasn't showing it. Instead she smiled and stood up from the table. "I suppose it doesn't matter, what you two did is still amazing! You're both heroes. Your father will be so proud when he hears this."

Hatter visibly tensed at the mention of his father. "Where is dad?"

"He and Kenny should be home from work shortly. Won't they both be so surprised to find you've come back!" Edith seemed to think his father would be excited to see him again, but clearly Hatter thought different.

Edith went over to the stove, putting the pot of stew back on the burner. "I know you and your father had hard times in the past, but he's changed a lot since you've left. I'm sure you two will get on just fine."

"Hatter," she whispered. "People do change. Maybe he's..."

"No not him." he glanced back at the door, like he expected his father to be standing there. "He probably didn't even care that I was gone. He sure as hell isn't going to be happy I'm back."

_A/n_

_Thank you to all those who reviewed last chapter. _

_Feedback was encouraging on Cheshire, you all seem to want more. __Which, don't worry, is coming. _

_Hatters father and his brother Kenny will be added in next chapter. Let me know how you liked his mom. _


	25. Forgiveness

Forgiveness

They sat in the kitchen, Edith telling Hatter about the goings on in the family. His brother Keith was married with two children. Karen had moved to the city and married a doctor, and had just had her first child a few days ago, a little girl. And Katy, was also married with three children.

Alice got the impression that marriage here on the White Side was a big deal. No wonder Edith thought they were married. The fact that Hatter was twenty-eight and still single was probably way outside the norm.

Hatter listened intently as his mother went through each siblings' recent history. After Katy, Edith seemed to be done and started asking Alice questions like where she lived and who her parents were.

Hatter didn't let her finish. "And Kenny, what's he been doing? I take it he's still working with dad?"

Edith bit her bottom lip. "David, would you like a biscuit?" she said, pushing the tin of cookies toward him.

He pushed the cookies back. "Mom, stop avoiding. What's Kenny done?"

"Nothing. I'm proud of all my children."

"I never said you weren't."

"Oh, well..." she said, reaching out and cupping his cheek. "You really should shave dear, you're a bit hairy about the face."

She stifled a laugh, finding it funny how similar mother and son were when it came to avoiding subjects. He looked like he wanted to press Edith further on the subject and she didn't want he and his mother to get off on the wrong foot. She tried to distract him by reaching out and running the back of her hand along his cheek. "I like you a little scruffy. You look too young when you're clean shaved."

The screen door opened and a tall, blonde man entered, his back to them as he shrugged his coat off and kicked his boots aside. "Mom, did that letter come for me today?"

Hatter stood, taking a few steps forward. "You didn't get a letter because I doubt anyone wants to write you."

The man turned, his green eyes focusing on Hatter. "Davey?" He didn't hesitate and rushed over to greet and hug him. "Holy hell! Never thought I'd see you again."

"Na, you don't have that kind of luck, Kenny." Hatter pulled away, leaning back and giving his brother a critical eye.

Kenny was only slightly taller than Hatter. While Hatter looked like his mother, Kenny clearly took after another side of the family. His blonde hair was cut short, a few errant hairs hanging down his forehead and close to his green eyes. His features were more pronounced, with a strong square jaw and higher cheekbones. He wasn't quite as lean as Hatter either, not that he was fat or anything, just bigger all around.

Kenny yanked Hatter's hat off, and ruffed his hair. "Can't say the same for you. You finally grew into those gangly limbs and big ears."

Edith was at the door, looking around outside. "Kenny, where's your father?"

"I'm sure he'll be in shortly so just..." Edith was already out the door before Kenny had a chance to stop her.

"Piss." he cursed, moving over to the door and peeking his head outside. "Dad's started smoking and she's not supposed to know. It's my job to stall her." He held his hands up nonchalantly. "Oops?"

"Great, I'm sure he'll be even happier to see me now that its _my_ fault he's caught."

"Na," Kenny shook his head. "She might not catch him, he can always blame the smell on me. She knows I smoke. And he won't act mad at you even if he is. Things have changes since you've left, Mom has him on a tight leash these days."

Hatter huffed, disbelievingly. "Really? How did that happen?"

"A combination of things. It's one hell of a guilt trip that he's the reason her _favorite_ son ran away." Kenny looked around Hatter's shoulder at Alice. "Are you with him?" he said, jerking a thumb in Hatter's direction.

"Yeah, I'm Alice." she said, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

He took her hand but didn't shake it. Instead, he craned his head, turning his ear to her. "Say that again."

"Say what again?"

"Oh, anything." he said, grinning. "As long as you're saying it in whatever that accent is." When she didn't say anything he turned to Hatter. "Get her to talk, will ya?"

If Hatter wasn't smiling so broadly at his brother, she would have been completely offended by this. Instead she just hesitated and waited for Hatter to save her from whatever Kenny was playing at.

Which, of course he did. "Back off will ya? She's not a parrot, she doesn't have to perform for you."

Kenny rolled his eyes and searched the small side table. "Here, let me see if I can't find you something to read aloud."

"I don't think I have much of an accent. I just speak plain English." She always thought of an accent as a way of talking and since she didn't have a twang or lilt, she never considered she had one. She didn't even have a New York accent.

Obviously that wasn't what Kenny thought. He was smiling and bouncing on his heals a little. "That's bloody brilliant! And you get to hear her every day?"

"Kenny, stop it."

"Don't get all riled up." Kenny lifted his eyebrows, rolled his eyes and jerked his head in Hatter's direction, a smirk on his face. He might not look like Hatter, but they shared the same mannerisms. "So where're you from anyways? Umbridge maybe?"

The side door opened again and Edith cheerfully entered the kitchen. She held the door open and allowed an older man to walk in. This was probably Hatter's father, though she didn't see much of a resemblance between the two. Kenny looked like his father. They both shared the same shape of face, eye and hair color. What stood out most about this man was his eyes, they were hard and sharp, and at the moment they were fixed squarely on Hatter.

To her surprise, Kenny stepped in front of her, almost like he was trying to shell her from view. "Dad, what took you so long? I thought you were right behind me."

Those sharp green eyes shifted away from Hatter for a moment, focusing on his oldest son. "I was just taking my time, I'm an old man you know." His words sounded forced, like he really wanted to say something else but knew better than to do so.

Hatter's jaw was clenched and his hands were eerily still at his sides. Normally in uncomfortable situations he fiddled with something. His hat, a piece of paper, his clothes, he liked to keep his hands occupied as a way to center himself. The lack of motion was concerning to her. She wanted to move closer to him but the tension in the room was so thick, she felt like she was rooted to the floor.

The only person who didn't seem effected was Edith. She was still smiling, her eyes clear as she looked between her son and husband. If she was waiting for the same cheerful reunion she and Hatter had shared to happen between father and son, she'd be waiting a long time.

Almost like she could sense Alice's thoughts, Edith broke the silence. "Harold, don't you have something to say to David?"

Harold's jaw clenched and unclenched, like he was fighting the words in his mouth. "Welcome home son. It's good to see you're... looking... well."

Hatter didn't look any more comfortable than his father. In fact she thought she saw him flinch slightly as soon as his father opened his mouth. "It's good to see you too... Dad."

Behind them, Edith cleared her throat.

Hatter hoped his mother didn't intend for them to share anything beyond words. As he watched his father cast a quick glare in his mother's direction, he knew there was no easy way out of this. Honestly it would make him feel better if his father just ignored him all together.

His father stepped toward him and his stomach clenched horribly. He felt like he was a boy again, waiting to be punished for misbehaving. As his father pulled him into a loose hug, his hands remained at his sides.

His fathers hold tightened and he leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Do it. Don't upset your mother."

Reluctantly, he hugged his father back. With a quick pat on the back, Harold released him and turned back to Edith. "May I be excused now?"

His father didn't wait for an answer and quickly pushed past him. His mother followed behind him. "Is that it? Don't you want to know where he's been? What he's been doing all these years?"

"Nope."

Edith pushed past him, blocking his exit from the kitchen. "He's been on the Red Side. He worked with the Resistance there to overthrow the Queen and free everyone from her tyranny. You know how bad things had become over there. He's a hero, Harold."

"Ah, is that what he's told you? Listen to me woman, I can be polite to the boy but I won't buy his lies."

"He's not lying." The sickness he'd been feeling worsened as Alice spoke up to defend him. Alice could do a lot of things, but fighting with his father was something she didn't want to put him through. "He is a hero, even the new king of the Red Side recognizes that."

"And who the hell are you?"

"Oh," Kenny said. "She's Alice from... Umbridge was it?"

His mother stepped between the two. "No, she's an Oldworlder. She's Alice, and I don't doubt anything they've told me."

"Have you gone daft, woman? Will you blindly believe anything you're told?" His father looked at him, not even attempting to hide his anger any longer. "I'm not going to let you fool your mother, boy."

"Look, Dad, I didn't come here to cause problems. I just wanted to see Mom." Kenny elbowed him lightly in the side. "_And_ Kenny. We're just here to say goodbye before we leave."

"Leave?" His mother turned to him, tears already forming in the corners of her eyes. God he hated when she cried.

"Alice can't stay in Wonderland mom, and the Looking Glass is going to be closed soon. We're both leaving Wonderland for good."

"Another lie. The Looking Glass was destroyed along with the Kingdom of the Knights. You're a liar, and there's no way your little _tramp_ is Alice. She's no more Alice of Legend than I am related to the White Queen."

He'd never wanted to hit his father so badly in all his life. His mother was crying, Alice had been insulted, and once again, his father had managed to make him feel worthless. This was his father's way, he used his words like venom to hurt those around him. Despite what his mother said, he hadn't changed one bit. He was the same bitter angry man he had been all those years ago.

The only difference between then and now was that this time he wasn't a child and he wasn't afraid of his father anymore. The thought of beating the man who'd bullied him most of his childhood was extremely appealing. The only thing stopping him from doing just that, was Alice's hand clutching his right arm.

She pushed in front of him before he could stop her and stood before his father. "No, you know what, I am Alice of legend. Apparently that makes me pretty damn important. And if it wasn't for _your_ son, I'd be dead right now and so would a lot of other people."

His father advanced on her, closing what space there was between them. "That boy, destroys everything he touches. He has not a lick of sensibility or good judgment in him and there is no amount of time or... _Alice of legends_ that will change that." His father hovered over her, trying to intimidate her. It was a tactic he was familiar with. His father had always looked down on him, both figuratively and literally. "The fact that he has to have a _little girl_ fight his battles is enough proof he's no hero. He's worthless."

Alice was standing as tall and straight as she could, staring his father down like she had the Queen of Hearts. If he didn't stop her, she'd fight with his father until they were both dead from exhaustion. "Alice, drop it. Let's just leave alright?"

"No, please!" His mother rushed to his side and clutched his arm. "Stay, please stay!" She kept a hold of him but turned to look at his father. "Harold, stop this!"

Harold and Alice ignored the pleas to stop. "Prove it." Harold leaned in until he was just inches away from her face. "Prove who you are."

It was a simple statement but one that was impossible. They had no proof of anything that happened on the Red Side and there was no way to prove Alice was anything other than an Oyster. The only proof they did have was her glow but even that could be faked.

Alice was quick thinking, a fact which was both a blessing and a curse. The words she said next ran a chill down his spine. "The Cheshire thinks I'm _that_ Alice. If you want proof, go ask him."

As sickening as that statement made him feel, it had the desired effect. His father backed down and away from his fearless little Oyster. Instead of arguing with Alice, he again turned to Edith. "I don't care who he's become or who he's brought home, they aren't staying here and don't ask them to. They want to go back to the Oldworld, let them. Bad enough we're stuck with Kenny."

"Oi!" Kenny sounded, clearly insulted by his fathers words.

"Don't you even start!" His father jabbed a finger in Kenny's direction. "If you'd done a better job keeping Lettie in line, none of this ever would have happened in the first place."

"Just stop! Everyone stop." His mother grabbed Alice by the arm and pulled her back to stand with the rest of them. "I'm sorry Harold, I didn't think it was too much to ask you be happy to see your own child. I didn't know that you would be so _bitter_ and hurt about this. I thought that even if you weren't honestly happy to see David, at least you would put on a front, for my sake."

"No!" Harold shouted. "You want me to feel poorly for making him leave. If you think for a second I'm going to apologize to him for something that's not my fault, you're wrong."

He turned and walked out of the kitchen, and for a long moment, Edith just stood there staring at the empty doorway.

"Well, that went about as well as expected." Kenny pulled a chair out and slumped into it. "If it makes you feel any better Davey, I still think dad hates me more than he does you."

"Are you really leaving?" His mother looked at him imploringly before she turned to Alice. "Nevermind what Harold said, you and David can stay here as long as you like. The White Side is completely different from the Red. You'll like it here, I swear."

He hadn't thought far enough ahead to consider how leaving was going to hurt his mom. Judging by her pained expression, neither had Alice. "I can't leave my mom. My father's dead and I'm an only child, I'm all she has. If I left her, she'd have no one."

"Cheer up mom. I'm a disappointment, remember? I'll likely live at home till I'm dead." Kenny smiled up at their mother.

She took a deep breath, and for a moment he thought she was calming down. Then she started sobbing again and turned toward him, leaning against his chest. He held her, stroking her hair and trying to think of anything he could say that would help. He looked between Alice and Kenny, hoping one of them would come up with something. Alice was chewing on her bottom lip and fiddling with her fingers. Kenny just shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in the chair.

His mother sniffled and when she spoke, she sounded a little more composed. "How long will you be here?"

"A week at most. We need to deliver a message to the Oracles before we leave, but other than that we can stay here if you like." It was small consolation for them leaving but he hoped it helped a little.

"Well that's great! You wanted to go see Karen anyway right? You three can make a trip of it." Kenny lightly tapped Alice's arm. "Tell her it'll be fun."

Alice quickly agreed. "It would be great if you could come with us. We could... spend the whole week together."

Edith stepped back and wiped her eyes. "That would be nice, I suppose."

"And," Kenny added. "You'll get to see your new grandbaby. You know how happy that makes you."

"Yes, that does make me happy." She gave one final wipe at her eyes and looked back up at him. "No point in crying I guess. I should be grateful you even came back, considering it's my fault you left in the first place."

"Mom..." He really didn't know what more he could say to her.

Kenny got up from the table and wrapped his arm around Alice's shoulder. "How about this, I'll give Alice a tour of the house and the two of you can sit down and sort all this out, yeah?"

Kenny had Alice out of the room before Hatter could even comment. For the first time in fifteen years, he and his mother were alone.

"Mom, I didn't mean the things I wrote in that letter. It's not your fault I ran away."

She sat at the table, her gaze fixed on its wooden surface. "No, you were right. I should have defended you, and Lettie. I did a lousy job of protecting you. I'm sorry."

He sat next to her and took her hand. "It's all right mom, you were just doing what you had to do."

She shook her head. "No, you deserved better, all you kids did. I let your father have so much control over all of us that I never even considered doing things my own way. When you left, I became aware of that. As soon as Lettie's happiness came into question, I should have put a stop to things. And when you were brave enough to stand up and defend her, I should have been right behind you. The whole thing, everything, just got so out of control. All I cared about was keeping things peaceful. That was wrong of me."

"It was selfish of me. I love Lettie, I really do. I wanted her to marry Kenny and become a part of our family. That night when you and your father fought, I admit to being angry with you. I wanted everything to work out so badly. Everything you said made sense and I was trying to deny that. I should have been thinking of Lettie, not my own needs or wants. I wish I had realized that back then."

"I don't blame you for that mom, I wanted Lettie in the family as much as you did." He knew it would have been great to have Lettie as his sister, but that wouldn't have made her happy.

"Well that's the difference between us. You were willing to stand up for her happiness even if it meant less of your own. I was selfish to think only of myself. Lettie and James never should have been forced to choose between love and family. I didn't help matters any and its painful because I know I could have."

She looked so incredibly ashamed of the way she acted. These were feelings she'd been trying to deal with for years and she'd amassed a huge amount of guilt over it. "Mom, if it makes you feel any better, Lettie has been very happy these last few years. She wouldn't trade the time she had with James for anything. She doesn't regret anything she's done and she wouldn't want you to be upset about this."

She turned in her chair and took both of his hands in hers. "It doesn't make what I did right, David. And what I let happen with you, there was no excuse for that."

He knew she was talking about his father and the way he was treated growing up. "Mom, you did your best, you couldn't make Dad act any different then the way he wanted too."

"No but I should have tried. I am so sorry. I was so used to your father and the way he acted, by the time you were born, I didn't see anything wrong with the way he treated you. I knew he was harder on you than the other kids but I always figured it was because he was punishing me. I was the one who decided to have another child after Keith even though he made it clear he wanted no more children. The way he treated you, the things he said, I let that go because they were really meant for me. But you didn't know that did you? It didn't matter how much I loved you because that would never make up for what he wouldn't give you."

That much was true. Looking back, he could clearly see how she had overcompensated. It was something that had made the other kids a little jealous. If any of them ever wanted to tease him or get under his skin, the first thing they'd made fun of was the fact that he was mommy's favorite.

"Mom, please just... I never thought badly of you, ever. You are the best mother I could ever hope for. So please, just forget about everything that's happened. You can't change the past and I forgave you a long time ago." He pulled her into a hug and pressed his face into her hair. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too. Thank you," she whispered. "You have no idea how much hearing that means to me."

She let out a long breath and relaxed and hugged him back. She hadn't asked for forgiveness but he knew that was what she needed. They needed to move past this and just enjoy the time they had left together.

_A/n_

_Forgive all the family drama, it'll pass soon. Originally I debated on having Kenny being as hopeless and bitter as his father. But after much thought and the fact that he simply wouldn't let me write him that way, he's turned into quite the caring older brother. Which is a good thing for Hatter, he needs all the love he can get right?_

_It was so nice to see some new reviewers for last chapter mixed in with those who've faithfully reviewed this story from the start! And welcome to those who've added this story to their favorites list!_

_An added note, RHI entertainment posted some behind the scenes photos from Alice on their facebook page. Way cool, so be sure to check it out and comment on how much you love them. Maybe, with enough comments, we can get them to post more!_ www. /pages/RHI-Entertainment/91579164171 _(Remove spacing)_


	26. Brothers

Brothers

Hatter thought dinner was going to be awkward, but his mother saved them by taking his father's dinner to him in his 'study'. Which, Kenny was quick to point out, was what dad was now calling his old bedroom.

"The day I moved out he completely took over my room, meanwhile, your's and Keith's room had been kept like a shrine for you." He clasped his hand in front of him and mocked his mothers voice. "In case my perfect little boys decide to come home."

Kenny batted his eyes up at Mom as she placed his plate before him. She crossed her arms defensively over her chest, clearly unamused. "I never said any such thing. It would do you well to stop being so bitter."

She walked away and Kenny silently mocked her when her back was turned. Alice gave him away when a stifled giggle slipped past the hand over her mouth.

As Mom sat down with her own plate, she gave Kenny her best warning glare. She folded her hands and bowed her head. "Kenny, say grace."

He slumped in his chair. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

He huffed again and half-heartedly folded his hands, and said grace in a monotone voice. "We thank the Cheshire for the food on our plates and the roof above our heads. Bless the wisdom of the White Queen." When they were younger, if he had pulled something like that, Mom would have made him say it over again. Instead she excepted Kenny's pathetic attempt at grace, and began eating.

Conversation was kept light. Alice and Mom did most of the talking. Alice was asking questions about the town and the city and basic cultural differences between her world and here. Mom was happy to answer her and he didn't fail to notice when she slipped in how people wed on this side and how it would be no problem to throw together a wedding on short notice. Thankfully, Alice took his mother in stride and just changed the subject.

When dinner was finished, Kenny lightly punched him in the arm. "I need a smoke. Come outside with me."

"I don't smoke."

"I know," he said, flipping an unlit cigarette between his fingers. "No one in this house does, that's why I have to go outside. Come keep your brother company, yeah?"

His mother was already clearing the table. "Just be sure to go to your area with that rubbish. And keep the ash to the ash tray, thats what it's there for after all." she said, making her disapproval clear.

"Yeah, mum."

Hatter got up from the table, squeezing Alice's shoulder in a silent goodbye. He followed Kenny outside and to the far end of the garden. Clearly this was the designated smoking spot mom had set up. It was far enough away from the house that she wouldn't smell the smoke but still close enough to the house that it was lit up by the porch light.

Hatter sat on the old iron bench and Kenny took the tree swing. He lit his cigarette and took a long drag, exhaling slowly. "So tell me, what have ya really been up to on the Red Side?"

"I told you, I worked with the Resistance."

"Ya, I'm not doubting that. You're senseless enough to put your neck on the line for a bunch of random strangers. I want to know what you _did_. Ya know, the stuff ya won't tell mom." He leaned in closer. "I know your hands got dirty. How could they not be, living with those emotionless bagheads."

If there was one good thing about Kenny, it was that he never judged. He'd laugh, poke fun, and occasionally blackmail, but not judge. "I sold Tea, the drug they use over there. I'm responsible for as many people being killed by the Resistance as were beheaded by the Queen. I lied, cheated, and stole every chance I got."

Kenny's eyes went wide and he pointed his cigarette in his direction. "I knew it! You were like a spy or something, yeah? Like an assassin."

"Kenny, it wasn't a party or anything, I could have died."

"Think of it from my point of view. What do I have to show for my life? I'm a divorced, thirty-four year old living with my parents. I lost my business, and I have to work with _dad_.. I sit around most of the day and order people to do menial tasks." he stood and flicked his cigarette against the ash tray.

"Oh, and I'm that much better am I?"

"Hell ya! I'd trade lives with you in a heartbeat. You're a 'Hero of Wonderland', you've got all this freedom to move about the Sides and even the Oldworld as you see fit. You've got a million different options being handed to you on a silver platter and all of them are favorable. I'd even take that woman of yours" he said with a wink and a smile. "She's not bad at all. Besides, it's pretty posh having Alice of Legend hanging off your arm."

He supposed from an outside perspective, it did look like he was well off. Of course Kenny wasn't counting the fact that he'd gained all of that by nearly risking his life and Alice's, multiple times. Kenny's comments and the flirty way he talked about Alice didn't bother him one bit, but his referring to her as a legend did. "Please don't call her that, she doesn't take it well."

He took another long drag of his cigarette, thoughtfully blowing smoke rings into the air. "You think she's really that Alice?"

There had been a time he would have denied up and down that his Alice was _that _Alice. But after everything that had happened today, he was beginning to fight the idea less and less. "I didn't want her to be. I hoped it was just a coincidence, her being named Alice."

"And you're sure its not because..."

The Cheshire's words rang in his mind. "Because 'you know who' was all over her the moment we crossed the border. He says she's _his_ Alice."

"Oh, so she wasn't bluffing Dad today then?" Kenny laughed and pointed at Hatter. "You, are screwed. Bad enough he likes to humiliate you, now you're courting a woman he calls his own?"

"Maybe," he agreed, remembering how the Cheshire had acted around Alice. "But you didn't see him with her today. She asked him to do things and he _actually_ did them. She has some kind of power over him, which is great for me. He wants to make her happy and I know how to make her happy. I have a leg up on him."

Kenny shook his head. "Don't tempt it. If Alice can keep him off your back then let her do it, but don't try and use that against him. It'll just backfire on ya."

"What will?"

Alice was walking toward them and Kenny motioned for her to take the swing seat. He was even kind enough to try and wave the smoke away from her and stood downwind so it wouldn't travel in her direction. "Anything really, poor Davey has the worst luck sometimes. You saved him today though, bloody amazing the way you made Dad back down. Good for you."

He was grateful Kenny had changed the subject. He was still trying to avoid telling Alice about him and the Cheshire. Kenny was right, there was no dealing with that cat and it was best to stay away from him as much as possible.

She pushed back on the swing. "You know, smoking will kill you, right?"

"Yeah, that's what Mom keeps telling me." He took another drag and blow the smoke off to the side. "I've also heard standing up to the Queen of Hearts was a good way to lose your head."

"Mmm, duly noted." Alice gave up arguing with Kenny and looked at Hatter. "Your Mom wants us to leave for the city tomorrow afternoon."

That wasn't what he was hopping for. Now that he'd come home, all he really wanted to do was get away from his father as soon as possible. "I wanted to leave early. Why does she want to wait?"

Alice dragged the toes of her shoes lightly against the ground as she swung back and forth. "She wants me to help her make a few dinners for your dad and Kenny while she's gone. I told her I don't know that much about food here but she said that was alright because she should teach me to cook for you anyway."

Kenny laughed and smashed his cigarette out in the ash tray. "Did she feed you the line about how keeping a man well fed is the key to a happy marriage? Which, by the way, good luck getting her to give up on that idea. I'm sure she'd be tickled pink to see her Davey get married."

"Alice and I aren't getting married, it doesn't matter what Mom says." Alice was already skittish he didn't need his mother to put extra pressure on her.

"Actually, I kind of wish we'd lied when she asked if we were married. If we'd just told her yes, then she wouldn't be on our backs about it. We'd also be able to sleep in the same room tonight."

Kenny sat next to him on the bench, ruffling his hair as he walked past. "Damn, that means I'm stuck bunking with you."

"Yeah well, I'm not happy about it either. Please tell me there are still two beds in my old bedroom?"

"Thankfully, yes. But I'm warning you, if you snore or rustle too much, you're out. You can go sleep on the couch or something."

They bickered back and forth with each other until a little gasp from Alice drew their attention. She was sitting very still on the swing, staring down at her legs. He followed her gaze and saw a fly perched on her knee.

He smiled. "That's a rocking horse fly, you've never seen one of those before have you."

She shook her head slowly, trying not to scare the little bug away. "No, I can't believe it. It really looks like a rocking horse."

He'd never actually took the time to study what the bug looked like before, he'd always just swatted the bothersome little insects away. The fly was blue and sliver in color, it's curved body and legs resembling that of a horse and it's long feet looked like the bowed wood of a rocker. The bug twitched a little on the perch of Alice's knee and it's four thin wings fluttered lightly in the evening breeze.

This was one of the little things he loved about Alice. She was often amazed and awed by what he considered to be simple, everyday things. When he looked at things from her point of view it was easy to see the ordinary as extraordinary. He only hoped that when he went to her world, he could give her the same experience.

Kenny was less impressed by the rocking horse fly. "Those things are pests." He reached across and shooed it off her knee.

She watched as it flew away across the garden. "It's really pretty though."

"Whatever, rocking horse flies are like women, if you give them enough time they'll just bite you." he held out his hand and hooked two fingers in the air. "Before you know it they sink their fangs into you and suck out every last ounce of hope and crush every dream you've ever had until all that's left is an empty shell."

"Kenny!" he said, trying to snap his brother out of the rant he was on. He couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's outburst. "Calm down, it's just a fly, don't go having flashbacks."

It may not have been very nice to have a laugh at Kenny's expense, but he didn't feel quite so bad when Alice joined him. "We should go inside before any pretty women come around and suck the life out of him."

They stood up and headed back inside. He took Alice's hand as they walked and Kenny followed close behind. "Neither one of you are funny, you know that right?"

By the time they got inside, Edith had already gotten Alice's room ready. She'd be sleeping in the guest bedroom which was really just the girls' old room. After making sure she had everything she needed, Edith hugged her good night and again thanked her for bringing David back home.

She changed and got ready for bed. There was a knock at her door and it opened before she could answer. Hatter stepped inside and shut the door quietly behind him. "I just thought I'd come and say goodnight."

She didn't believe that for a second but she decided to play along. When he leaned in to kiss her, she turned away quickly and dodged his advance. "Well good night then. You'll wake me up tomorrow in time for breakfast right?"

"What, I don't even get a good night kiss?"

She could hear the disappointment in his voice but didn't give in. "I don't think that's the proper White Side thing to do. In fact, I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be with an unmarried lady alone in her bedroom in the middle of the night."

Hatter moved behind her and ran his hands along the backs of her arms. "It's horribly improper. Here you are, dressed only in your night clothes, and not even a robe to hide yourself with."

He pulled her flush against his body and kissed her neck. "No, Hatter, I'm serious. If your mom caught us she'd have a fit. You should just go to bed."

It didn't stop his hands from roaming her body. "I'm sure she would, it's a good thing she's not likely to check up on us."

That might be true but the walls here were thin and there was no way she was going to take a chance with getting caught. She turned and pushed him gently away. "No, I mean it. I'm not having sex in your parents' house. You need to just go to your room and sleep."

Despite clearly being disappointed, he smiled at her. "Don't you care how lonely I'll be?"

"Sure I do, but you still need to go." she kissed him and pulled away quickly before things could get too heated. "Good night, Hatter."

Before she could get away, he pulled her back and into a long thorough kiss. "Good night, Alice. I'll be sure to wake you tomorrow."

He left and she closed the door, leaning against it and sighing. There was no way she was going to get to sleep anytime soon.

_A/n_

_Sorry about the small chapter. This is just a filler so I apologize for the lack of plot. I did have a scene in here where Kenny talked more about his ex wife, but it just didn't flow well with this chapter. I'll have to find some other way to work that into a latter chapter. _

_I blame my muse for this. I've been in the mood to write smut lately and struggled coming back to this story. To make up for this being a filler, I'll update the next chapter on Monday._

_As for the smut, I've started a new series called Lessons in love. Check it out if you like!_


	27. Double vision

Double vision

Alice lay in the twin size bed, the covers pulled up to her shoulder as she tried to fall asleep. The window was open and the curtain parted, allowing the soft glow of moonlight and the noisy symphony of insects into the room. Try as she did, she just couldn't fall asleep. She'd never been able to sleep in a strange place and it didn't help any that she'd become so used to sleeping next to Hatter. She wondered if he missed sleeping next to her?

She stared up at the ceiling trying the count-backward-from-one-hundred-trick to help her fall asleep. Just as her eyes slipped closed and she was about to finally fall asleep, she felt a weight push down on the foot of the bed. Her near-sleeping mind quickly wrote it off as Dinah hopping up on the bed.

Wait... "Dinah?" She sat up in bed. Cheshire was curled at her feet, eyes closed as if already asleep.

She nudged him with her foot. "Get out of my bed!" She was whispering, trying to be quiet, but her voice sounded loud and harsh.

He opened one bright green eye. "It's not _your_ bed, you're just borrowing it."

She pulled her knees up defensively against her chest. "It's my bed as long as I'm sleeping in it. Now get out!"

"Oh please, let me stay!" He rolled over onto his back and craned his neck to look at her. His grin wide and unmistakable even though it was upside-down. "I'm ever so cute"

"I'm not buying it, so cut the act."

He flipped over again and started kneading the blanket. "I suppose I could always go sleep with Davey." His claws flashed in the moonlight as he dug them into the comforter.

It was an unspoken threat. Either she let him stay with her or Hatter was going to get clawed. This cat thought he was clever, well two could play at that game.

"Fine, you want to stay?"

"Oh yes, please!" he said, scooting closer to her.

"Ok, I'll let you sleep on the bed, _if_ you tell me what's going on between you and Hatter."

He sat up on his hind legs, leaning slightly away from her. "You mean he didn't tell you? Funny he should hide it from you."

Again, he was trying to turn her on Hatter. "He's not hiding anything. We just... didn't have the time to talk about it."

"Hmmmm," He ran his paw under his chin. "Information like that can't be cheap." Quickly he flicked two paw-pads together, producing a loud snap. "I got it! I'll tell you all about Davey and I, and in return, you let me sleep on your pillow, curled up right at the top of your head. Not just tonight either, the whole time you're here."

"Why would you want that?"

"Because," he said, resting his paws on her knees and rubbing his head against her hand. "I like being near you."

"How do I know you'll tell me the truth?"

"Because, I won't _tell_ you. I'll show you." he jumped off the bed and onto the dresser. He picked up the hand mirror with his teeth, bounded back to the bed and dropped it on the blankets. "Take it."

She picked it up, wondering what he was up to. "What do you want me to do with this?"

He pushed his way into her arms and settled on her lap. "Just hold it and watch."

The image on the mirror shifted. Her reflection disappeared and was replaced with a swirl of color. Browns, reds, and gray began forming images. She was startled when words softly came from the mirror.

"You're such a coward!"

The scene on the mirror was of a large tree on a tall hill. There was a low wooden fence surrounding the hill and beyond that, she could see three young boys.

The image froze. "I'll sum it up for you." Cheshire said as he leaned back against her stomach. "Davey was picked to be a wreath bearer for my celebration."

"_Your_ celebration?"

"Yes, each year the people of this village honor me for the protection and prosperity I bring." He looked up at her with a toothy grin but she just deadpanned and stared down at him. "Anyway... when his brothers found out he was picked as wreath bearer, they started teasing him."

The image on the mirror shifted. The children were in the boys' room now. The two older boys were staring down at the younger one. She recognized Kenny as the oldest and Hatter, the youngest. The middle boy must have been Keith.

"Stop it!" Hatter yelled. "You're both just jealous that I got picked to be wreath bearer." Hatter was shorter than the other two and couldn't have been older than ten.

"We're just trying to warn you." Kenny said.

"Yeah," said Keith shoving Hatter's shoulder lightly. "Good brothers look out for the _little_ ones."

"I'm not little!" Hatter said, smacking Keith's hand away. "You're just trying to scare me. It won't work!"

Kenny threw his hands in the air and sat down on one of the beds. "I'm just telling you to be careful. The Cheshire's tree is not something you want to mess with. It's cursed by the Cheshire, anyone who touches it, dies."

"Just don't screw up. If you trip, you'll likely fall right on it." Keith ran his finger across his neck in a cutting motion. "It'll be the end for you."

Hatter was watching Keith and didn't notice Kenny leaning in behind him. "Boom!"

Hatter jumped as Kenny shouted in his ear. The boys both laughed at him and Kenny fell back on the bed. "Oh he's so going to screw things up."

Keith jumped up on the other bed. "I got dibs on his half of the room!"

"You're both lying! When I get up there, I'll touch that stupid tree on purpose and prove there's nothing special about it."

The image faded away and was replaced again by the tree and the hill.

"It's just a tree. I was up there today and there's nothing special about it!" Hatter was dressed in a long blue robe and was leaning against the fence along with his brothers.

"But you didn't touch it. I was watching when you went up there. You just dropped the offering and then came back down." Kenny rested his chin on his hands and looked bored.

"I wasn't going to touch it with all those people watching me."

"That's because you're chicken!" Keith teased.

"I am not!" Hatter climbed over the fence and faced his brothers.

"Yeah, ya are." Kenny argued. "You said you were going to touch it and you didn't. Not that I blame you, I wouldn't touch it either."

"Yeah, it's probably for the best. I bet Mom would be pretty upset if her _baby_ blew up." Keith teased.

"Yep. On the other hand," Kenny pointed out. "Dad would probably split his allowance between us."

Hatter was staring at the tree while Kenny and Keith went on about the pros and cons of him dying. Hatter stomped up the hill, his face set in stubborn determination.

"Davey? Where are you going?" Kenny called after him.

"I'm going to prove you both wrong."

Keith and Kenny froze, staring at each other blankly before hopping the fence and rushing after Hatter.

"David, stop!" Keith called out. "We're not kidding. Don't touch it!"

Hatter had a good head start on them and was already at the base of the tree before they were over the fence. He held his right hand out and hesitated briefly before pressing it against the tree. As his palm pressed to the bark, he closed his eyes tight.

Kenny and Keith just stood there staring at Hatter. Even Alice felt nervous watching young Hatter take a chance that his brothers were lying to him. She knew he didn't die like Kenny said he would, but she didn't know how this all tied in to Cheshire owning Hatter.

Hatter opened his eyes and looked completely relieved that nothing had happened. He turned to his brothers and held his hand out. "See, it's just a tree. You're both full of it."

Kenny pushed Keith back before he took a few steps up the hill. "David, your arm."

Hatter looked down at his arm. Deep purple and blue lines stretched from his hand all the way up to his elbow.

The image paused and Cheshire wriggled off her lap and circled excitedly on the bed. "This is the best part coming up!"

Hatter panicked and tried to wipe the colors off his arm. "Kenny, it won't come off!"

Kenny clearly had no idea what to do. "We need to get out of here before..."

"What are you boys doing up here?"

They all looked up into the tree where Cheshire was grinning down at them. Kenny reached out and grabbed Hatter, pulling him back. "We are so very sorry Lord Cheshire. My brother is a bit dense, he didn't mean to touch your tree."

Cheshire dropped from the tree and landed silently on the ground. "Oh he very much meant to touch my tree, no question about that."

Kenny's hands tensed on Hatter's shoulders. "Of course. I take the blame for it Lord Cheshire, I teased him into touching your tree. Please forgive him and let us go."

Cheshire sat at the base of the tree, a wide grin spreading across his muzzle. "You boys may run along home, but Davey here needs to stay."

Kenny pulled back on Hatters shoulder and tried to walk away. "We need to leave together, or..."

"I said go home!" Cheshire shouted. With a flick of his tail, Kenny and Keith were both gone and Hatter stood alone. "There now, it's just you and I. Why did you do that, boy?"

The cat circled him and Hatter just stood there shaking. "I wanted to prove my brothers wrong."

"But they weren't, were they?"

"No sir."

"Now look at what you've done. You've stolen from me, that's a crime punishable by death."

"No, please!" Hatter shouted, falling to his knees and holding his arm out. "Here, take it back!"

Cheshire stroked his paw along Hatter's forearm. "It's too late for that. I'd need to rip you're arm off. Is that what you want?"

He pulled his arm away from the Cheshire's touch, cradling it to his chest. "No, please!"

"Then what are we to do? You have taken a piece of my power, with no real way of giving it back. If I don't take your arm, how are you to make amends?"

Hatter was crying now, completely overwhelmed by the situation he was in. "I don't know. I'll do anything to make it up to you. Whatever you want!"

Cheshire seemed to think it over a moment. "Well, that is interesting. I suppose we could work something out."

"Really?" Hatter said, looking hopeful for the first time since this all started.

"Oh yes." He smiled down at the cowering boy. "It's been a long time since I've had a human slave. This should prove fun!"

"Slave?" he questioned.

Cheshire quickly lashed out and scratched Hatters arm, leaving behind four long claw marks. Hatter cried out in pain, grabbing the wound, blood seeping through his fingers.

"You're mine now. I'll let you keep that little bit of power you've taken and in return, you'll do as I say."

Cheshire was up in the tree now, tail quickly flicking back and forth.

Hatter slowly removed his hand. His arm was still covered in blood but the wounds were gone along with the purple and blue stripes. "So... what are you going to do with me?"

Cheshire was slowly fading away into nothingness. "I'll think of something. You go home now, and I'll fetch you when I have need of you."

Just as the Cheshire disappeared, the image on the mirror faded away as well. She was left holding the mirror and staring at her own reflection. She set the mirror aside and Cheshire moved to lay on her pillow. "Well, what do you think? I was magnificent, wasn't I?"

"So the power in Hatter's arm comes from you?" she asked, ignoring his questions.

"Yes. My tree is my home, thus it has absorbed much of my power through the years. Mortals ought not touch it."

She'd never asked Hatter why his right fist was so powerful. Honestly, if she had asked and he did tell her the truth, she never would have believed him. If he was ten when all this happened, then he lived three years being a slave for the Cheshire. She could only imagine the things he had to do to keep his arm.

She laid down and Cheshire curled around her head. Dinah used to do the same thing. It wasn't uncomfortable, he was just bigger and more... human than Dinah was. "What are you going to do now? Are you still going to treat Hatter that way?"

His tail flicked and the light hairs tickled her noes. "Well, I suppose so. He is still mine to do with as I please. Unless... would you like to buy him off me?"

"Buy him, with what?"

He was silent for a moment, his paws kneading her hair softly. "That's a good question, I'll have to sleep on it."

For the second time that night Alice found herself unable to sleep.

_A/n_

_Well, I hope that made up for the lack of plot last chapter. Remember, this counts as this Wednesday's update so there wont be an update for this story until next Wednesday. I should however have another chapter of Lessons in love up._

_Again thanks for reading and reviewing. This stories has come a long way and I'm grateful to all those who've stuck with me. Thanks all!_


	28. Departure

Departure

It was early so Hatter knew no one would be up yet. Maybe his mother, but if she was, she would be in the kitchen and not likely to catch him. He was going to sneak into Alice's room and wake her. She might have turned him down last night, but maybe now she'd be a little more receptive. Morning kisses were better than no kisses at all, he'd take what he could get.

He opened the door to her room slowly, not wanting to wake her just yet. In the dim morning light he could see her sleeping form tucked under the covers. He sat softly on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through her dark, silky hair.

He leaned in close to whisper to her. "Morning, Kettle."

He pulled the covers back and was about to kiss her when the person in bed turned and smiled up at him. "Good morning, my love."

Hatter jumped like boiling water had been thrown on him, taking out the side table and lamp with him. "What the hell are you doing here? Where's Alice?"

The Cheshire leered at him from the bed, mock Alice's hair still falling around his face. "I believe your mate is downstairs. I woke her early so she could help your mother cook breakfast. You know, make a good impression on the in-laws and all that."

He scrambled to his feet. "And _why_ you are in her bed, looking like that?"

"Because you are a predictable animal. I knew you wouldn't be able to keep off your mate." Cheshire's appearance returned to normal and he turned his nose up in disgust. "Most animals can't resist the urge to procreate."

"I am not an animal and neither is Alice, so stop calling us that." He went to leave, hoping the feline would disappear and he wouldn't have to explain why the lord of the land was joining them for breakfast.

"Of course my Alice is not an animal, she just chooses to love one. She's lowered herself to be with you. I have no choice but to respect that, however I'll never approve."

"Yeah, see that's the thing, neither Alice nor I need your approval." Knowing how Cheshire felt about Alice gave him a sense of protection. He'd never felt this confident around the beast before, it was a nice feeling really. "In fact, six days from now we'll be a world away from here and I'll never have to lay eyes on your mangy form again." Satisfied that he'd put the feline in his place, he turned to leave.

"_If _I let you leave. I can't control Alice but I do still own you, slave. I allowed you to leave last time, I might not be so willing to let you go now."

His hand clenched around the doorknob. He turned and faced the Cheshire. "Another animal tendency is impulsiveness. I think I'll go downstairs and tell _your_ Alice all the things you've done to me."

The Cheshire had him pined to the floor and the wind knocked out of him before he could even react. "Do you know why I hate you? You're always trying to separate me from her, turn her against me."

Hatter stared up into Cheshire's menacing green eyes. He knew he should have been afraid. He'd seen what the Cheshire was capable of and knew that if he really wanted to hurt him, there was noting he could do to protect himself. He had to remember he had Alice on his side and at the least, Cheshire wouldn't kill him, if only to spare her feelings.

"I'll do just that. I'll tell her every vile, loathsome thing you've ever made me do. I'll even tell her some false ones, she'll believe me long before you. I'll make her hate you to the point she won't even speak to you." Then Hatter did something he never would have dreamed of doing, he grabbed Cheshire by the scruff of his neck and tossed the cat across the room.

Cheshire disappear mid throw and reappeared on the bed. His grin spread ear to ear and he was laughing, actually laughing at him. "Well haven't you grown clever in the years you've been gone. I must say, I think this is the first time you've used her against me, it's quite brilliant really."

Hatter rose to his feet, confused by the Cheshire's words. "What the hell do you mean 'the first time'?"

The grin returned to the Cheshire's face. "I bet you'd love to know, the truth would be quite a feather in your cap."

The Cheshire faded away and he wondered if he was really alone in the room.

Alice tried to pay attention as Edith went over each ingredient she was using to make breakfast. Most of the food was close enough to what she was used to. Some, like Junparoroot, were completely Wonderland. Junparoroot looked like ginger but was red in color. You didn't use the actual root anyway, you just cut off an end and drained out the thick green sap. It was actually very sweet and Edith used it to make a syrup for the flat cakes, which were just wheat pancakes.

Edith washed her hands before patting her on the shoulder. "You mind the flat cakes and I'll be right back."

"Ok" she agreed. Edith left and Alice finished cooking the last of the flat cakes. The kitchen door swung open and Hatter walked up to her.

"Morning Ha... David." She laughed self-consciously. "Sorry, force of habit. Anyway, did you sleep well?"

She didn't know why, but for some reason, he looked grumpy. "Yep, slept sound as a board. And _you_? You weren't to lonely sleeping in bed _all alone_ were you?"

She would have thought he was teasing her if he hadn't put so much emphases on the alone part. He couldn't know about the Cheshire, could he? She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled slyly up at him."Well, I missed sleeping with you if that's what you're asking."

When he didn't return her hug and didn't look like he was warming up any, she backed away. She flipped the flat cakes before looking over to find him staring at her. "What?"

"You're letting him sleep with you, aren't you?"

She tried not to flinch as she silently cursed. At least now she knew why he was angry. "Just on my pillow, It's no big deal."

He threw his hands up. "No big deal? Alice are you insane? What would possess you to let that thing sleep with you? He's not a cat or a pet, he's a demon and a dangerous one at that."

"He's not going to hurt me, he just... likes to be around me. If it keeps him happy and off your back, I don't see the harm in it."

He started to argue with her more but stopped as his mother returned."Morning David, breakfast should be ready soon." She was carrying a basket full of fresh vegetables that she must have picked from her garden. She stopped to kiss Hatter on the cheek before going to wash the vegetables. "You're so lucky, Alice is quite the little cook. It's best not to let a catch like her get away."

"Mom, can you take over for Alice? She and I just need to step outside a moment."

Edith waved him off. "Of course dear, take your time."

He took hold of her hand a little more ruffly then he needed to and pulled her outside. "Alice, I don't want you alone with him again. Try to avoid him all together if you can."

She yanked her hand free of his. "Ok, look, I'm going to tell you what happened last night. I want you to promise that you won't be mad at me. Ok?"

Hatter didn't respond, he just crossed his arms and glared at her.

"I'll take that as a no." He had a way of making her feel like any lie she told was a complete betrayal, no matter how small it was. He already didn't like that Cheshire was hanging around her, he was going to hate that she allowed him to sleep with her. "He came to me last night and asked to sleep in bed with me."

"Yeah, I pieced that together. Why the _hell_ did you let him?"

"I didn't, at least not at first. He offered to show me what happened between the two of you in exchange for sleeping on my pillow."

Hatter's face went pale and his eyes wide. "What did he show you?"

"How and why you touched his tree, what it did to your arm and the reason he let you keep it." He looked away from her like he was ashamed. She reached out and touched right arm, running her fingers over his. "You were a child Hatter, you didn't know better. I don't know what kind of things the Cheshire made you do to keep your arm, but you didn't deserve to be punished."

"No it was stupid, I never should have been up there in the first place. I should have known better than to listen to my brothers. It's my own fault." He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug. "Just ask me next time, ok? I'll tell you anything you want to know. Don't ever make a deal with that beast again. You have no idea what he's capable of."

She tucked her face against his shoulder and silently nodded. She decided not to tell Hatter about the Cheshire's offer to sell him to her. He was deeply afraid of everything that had to do with the cat and she didn't want him worrying about that anymore. The Cheshire hadn't giver her any reason to think he'd try and hurt her, in fact he seemed to need to be around her. She'd protect Hatter anyway she had to. If the bargain was something as simple as her time or friendship, then she could give it without Hatter ever knowing. If he asked for anything more... she'd tell Hatter. Until then she'd wait and see what he actually wanted in exchange for leaving Hatter alone.

The rest of the morning went by in a frenzy of cooking and packing. Edith made three full days worth of dinners, commenting that neither Harold or Kenny knew how to cook. Kenny of course insisted that wasn't true. "I'm not a child mother, I can care for myself. I'd even be willing to make dad a sandwich or two."

Harold, who'd been sitting at the kitchen table silently reading the news paper, glared at Kenny over the edge of the paper. "I'd rather starve than trust you not to kill me with your cooking."

Alice helped out however she could and Edith packed her bags in between meals. Hatter already had her bag and his packed and sitting by the back door. He'd step in and do what he could to hurry the cooking along and he kept pestering his mother, asking what he could do to help her get ready.

"David, the train doesn't leave until three. No point rushing about to get things done when we have plenty of time." She pushed the bowl she'd been working over in his direction. "If it makes you feel better, you can mix this and I'll go do more packing."

Behind her, Harold let out a long drawn out sigh. "More packing? Gods woman, are you taking the house with you?"

"I have presents for the baby, Harold, you know that."

Edith left and she heard Harold mumble. "I know it's going to break my back carrying your things."

Hatter beat the contents of the bowl a little harder then he had to. He leaned in close to her and whispered. "I want to get the hell out of here."

"Just a few more hours and we'll be gone." she whispered back. "You can last till then."

Behind them Kenny and Harold were bickering back and forth, something about old men smoking and being short of breath. Alice just rolled her eyes and looked back at Hatter. "It could be worse, they could be joining us."

"Yeah, that'd be a lovely idea, maybe the cat could show up too." Hatter shook the batter covered spoon at her. "I can only imagine me, my father, and that beast stuck in a train car together for three hours. That would be my worst nightmare."

"Oh and your mother and I can be a car down, getting pampered with hot towels and wine." She giggled but he didn't seem to think it was that funny.

"It's a real comfort to know you find my misery funny."

The walk to the train station was filled with chat between Edith and Kenny happily showing Alice through town. Edith pointed out landmarks, while Kenny was quick to point out the places he and Hatter played while growing up.

Hatter didn't seem interested in any of the changes that had happened in the fifteen years he'd been away. He was uncharacteristically quiet and she noticed he was staring at his father's back most of the time. Whatever he was thinking about, it had noting to do with where they were.

The town itself was pretty big. It wasn't big city big, but a good size none-the-less. The town reminded her of the Lower City, all the buildings here being old construction. She understood now how Hatter could both love and hate the Lower City. Given the similarities between the two, it was no wonder why he escaped to the upper levels.

Edith greeted people as they passed, seeming to know almost everyone by name. The people here all seemed friendly and nice which was a contrast to most Red Siders. People here dressed differently too. Red Siders had no problem showing skin and most women seemed to wear as little as possible. White Siders on the other hand, dressed much more conservatively. Men here dressed in layers, vests and coats, similar to the way Hatter dressed. Women, wore long skirts and dresses with high neck lines. Again, women on this side seemed only to wear dresses and skirts, no pants.

She wished Hatter had told her how to dress. The skirt she wore only fell to her knees and even though she wore tights, she still felt out of place. No one in his family had mentioned the way she dressed so it must not have been too uncommon. She noticed a few of the men they passed staring at her. Hatter must have noticed because he was paying less attention to his father and more to the people they passed.

Thankfully, it wasn't long until they were at the train station. The building they entered was in the center of town but she didn't see any tracks leading to or from the building. They walked down two flights of stairs before exiting into the huge train station. The station platform was crafted of highly polished wood. The high ceilings were arched and tiled in mosaics depicting plants, flowers, and birds. The walls were painted in a similar manner, with animals and trees. There was also a symbol that was repeated over and over again throughout the artwork. It was a small flower topped by a star and circled by a crescent moon.

There was also a huge clock mounted in the center of the station. It was the first clock she had seen since coming to Wonderland and she was surprised to see the numbers on the face went up to fourteen. So few people ever referred to time and she had no idea Wonderland ran on a twenty-eight hour day.

The station was full of activity. There were people everywhere, some seated on benches, others standing in line to buy tickets. There was a train pulled into the station and a large crowd was gathered on the platform, waiting to board.

Alice tugged gently on Hatter's arm. "Do all the trains run underground?"

"Yeah, all trains run underground. I've never ridden one before though."

He sounded nervous. She followed his gaze and saw that he was looking down into the dark tunnels. "You ok?"

"Yeah it's just... you know, the underground thing."

"Are you claustrophobic?" she asked, a small smile playing on her lips. As far as she knew, he wasn't afraid of anything. Given how many phobias she had, it was a little reassuring to know he had at least one.

"On, of course not. I just... it's unnatural to travel underground that's all. People weren't meant to burrow you know."

She laughed. "People weren't meant to fly or live tens of stories up in the sky either."

"David," Edith called. "Come stand with me while I buy our tickets."

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I don't have a _thing_ about traveling underground."

While Hatter and Edith went to stand in line and purchase tickets, Harold sat down Edith's bags and took a seat on a bench.

"Care for the token tour of the station?" Kenny asked, holding his arm out to her.

"Sure." She looped her arm through his and he lead her around the station, telling her of each animal depicted in the murals.

"And this symbol?" she asked, stopping at one of the many ornately carved pillars. "It's everywhere, what does it mean?"

"This," Kenny said, pointing at the star. "Is the symbol of the Cheshire. The moon represents the White Queen."

"And the flower?" she said, running her fingers over the flowers petals.

"It represents a god, one that's no longer living."

"Each area in Wonderland is governed by different gods. The gods look after the people and bring them prosperity. You know, make sure the weather is good and the crops grow. Some only have one god but most have two." Kenny pointed to the star. "The Cheshire watches over us, but there used to be another spirit who helped him. She died long ago but we still honor her memory by keeping her symbol."

She nodded, understanding most of what Kenny had said. People of this side were much more religious then the Red Siders. The only people she'd heard even speak of the Red Queen were Hatter, Jack and Charlie. Hatter only spoke of the Queen when he was explaining how Wonderland worked. Jack and Charlie only spoke of her in passing, no where near as reverently as people here when they mentioned the White Queen.

"How does a god die?"

"I don't remember, I was never that interested in theology in school." Kenny pulled her over to the bench where his father was sitting. "Hey dad, Alice wants to know how the flower died."

Harold huffed. "You know it's a comfort to know all the money I spent sending you to school was well spent."

Kenny sat next to his father. "Just answer the question old man."

Harold looked at her, ignoring Kenny. "The flower spirit was driven mad by humans. We have an adverse effect on them. Some go mad when they have too much contact with us. That's why there are so few gods left."

She was surprised at how soft spoken Harold was. It was the complete opposite of how he'd spoken to her yesterday. "Did she die from madness?"

"No, once a god goes mad, the White Queen relieves them of their misery."

She sat next to Kenny, still not comfortable sitting near Harold. She didn't need a further explanation of how the Queen _relieved_ gods of their misery. She wondered why the gods would protect humans like like Kenny said they did if there was a chance they could die because of it.

Hatter and Edith returned and he handed her a ticket. "Our train should be here in about fifteen minutes."

"Now Kenny," Edith said, hands resting on her hips. "You will remember to water my garden this time won't you?"

Kenny rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother." He leaned over to Alice and nudged her with his elbow. "I killed all her plants once and she won't let me live it down."

"Just think of it every time you go smoke one of those death sicks. Which." she said, waving a finger at him. "You are not to smoke in the house while I'm gone."

"Edith, will you cut the boy some slack, he's not a child." Harold said.

The piercing cry of the train whistle cut through the silence of the station. Their train came to a slow stop, and the conductor exited one of the cars, seeing off the departing passengers.

They stood with all the other boarding passengers, waiting for their turn to get on the train. Edith leaned up and kissed Harold on the cheek. "I'll be back in a few days."

Harold didn't return her affection in any way, he just nodded. "Tell Karen I said hello."

"Yeah," Kenny added. "Bring home photos of the little one as well."

For the first time all day, Harold addressed Hatter. "David, take care of your mother."

Hatter didn't look at his father when he answered. "I will."

They boarded the train and an usher showed them to their seats. As the train slowly pulled out of the station Edith waved farewell to Kenny and Harold. Once out of the station, the only thing visible from the train windows was the occasional light that lined the tunnel walls.

Next to her, Hatter shifted uncomfortably and his body shook as he nervously tapped his foot on the floor.

"Edith," she asked. "How long it the train ride into the city?"

Edith had been digging in her bag, and pulled out some knitting needles and yarn. "It's a three to four hour ride, depending on how many stops the train makes."

Alice reached over and put her hand on Hatters knee, stilling him. "So you have a thing about riding in trains, it's not a big deal. Maybe you could take a nap?"

He huffed and looked away from her. "I told you, I don't have a _thing _about this. I just don't like sitting still."

She held his hand and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was thinking of how soothing the rocking of the train was.

_A/n_

_I'm glad I got this chapter up today, it gave me a hard time. Anyway, I usually don't fish for reviews, but this story is nearing the 500 review mark and I'm sure we'll hit it this chapter! To celebrate, I'm going to get starting tonight on the third chapter of Lessons in love. Funny how treats for this fandom seem to revolve around smut _:)

_On a side note, I have uploaded all the behind the scenes photos I've been able to find and there is a link to that in my profile. If I'm missing any pm me a link because I'd love to see it._


	29. Dreaming

_A/n_

_Whispering tea mist left me review number 500! Thank you, if I had a prize, you would be getting it. And thank you to everyone else who reviews! I never would have written this long if it wasn't for you guys. You're all awesome!_

Dreaming

Hatter crawled through the dark tunnel. Dirt fell on his face and he had to keep his head bowed so it wouldn't fall in his eyes. He didn't know where he was or why he was here but he knew he had to get out. Light here was sporadic but he took advantage of it when he could. There were small doors every so often but each so far had been locked. Suddenly, the tunnel shook and he was pummeled with dirt and stone. This place was collapsing and if he didn't get out, he would surly die. He hurried along, the palms of his hands and his knees being scraped and cut on the ground. He reached the end of the tunnel and the final door loomed before him.

He grasped the knob, praying that it would be open and he could escape. The doorknob twisted but nothing happened. He pulled and pushed and pounded against the door with his fists, but the wood wouldn't budge. There was no way out. He was trapped and death was certain.

"Oh quit being so melodramatic."

He snapped to attention in his seat aboard the train. The Cheshire sat across from him, a sickening grin spread across his face. "I should have known it was you. Are you playing around in my thoughts now, giving me nightmares?"

"Well aren't you an ungrateful little toad."

"You see, Alice, this is what I've been trying to tell you." He looked over, expecting her to be awake but found her sleeping soundly on his shoulder. How could she still be sleeping?

"Because you are still asleep, silly creature."

Hatter looked around the train and found it empty. It was just the three of them in the car. "Why are you in my dream?"

"Because, you were starting to twitch and it wouldn't have been long before you were thrashing about. You were going to wake Alice." The Cheshire left his seat and jumped into Alice's lap, curling under her arm. "I thank you would be appreciative. I did save you from the tunnel."

He had hopped the Cheshire wouldn't follow them to the city but apparently, he was just laying low until he could get Alice alone again. "You probably put me in that thing. I wouldn't put it past you to fill my head with nightmares."

"Give me a little credit, I could put you through far worse things than a dirt hole. Not that I haven't tampered with your dreams before, but I had no part in this one."

As always, Hatter wanted nothing more than to get away from the Cheshire. He pushed his sleeve up and pinched the skin of his writs.

Cheshire looked up curiously from Alice's lap. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Waking up. I've had my fill of you."

The Cheshire folded his paws on the armrest. "Don't you find dreams fascinating? You can go anywhere, any time, do anything. I wish I had them."

"I don't care." He pinched harder at his writs. He could feel the pain but he couldn't wake up. Why the hell couldn't he wake up?

"Alice is having a lovely dream. Would you like to see what it is?"

His hand stilled. Could you really see someone else dream? What would Alice be dreaming about?

Suddenly he was standing against a fence, the Cheshire sitting at his feet. In the yard a brown haired woman was kneeling on the ground, tending her flowers. A little girl was skipping through the yard, wearing a bright yellow dress and humming to herself. She was only four, maybe five at most. Her hair was shades lighter then he was used to but he could tell the little girl was Alice.

She stopped in the middle of the circle she was skipping and looked up at him. Her eyes were the same brilliant blue he was used to, but they were much wider and innocent.

"Dinah!" she shouted. Girl Alice rushed forward and scooped the Cheshire up, and cradled him in her arms like he was a baby doll. Cheshire was now small enough for little Alice to hold. He was gray in color and his coat fluffy but his eyes and grin remained the same.

Hatter knelt down so he was at her eye level. "Hello, Alice."

The little girl shook her head, her eyes filled with mistrust. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, Daddy said so."

Alice wasn't aware that she was dreaming, and little Alice didn't know who he was. "Well that's very wise. I'm sure your daddy would be proud that you listened so well."

"Really?" she said. She was smiling at him now and twisting happily back and forth. "Daddy will be home soon. He's usually late. Mommy and I... we're always waiting for him."

She looked sad now but that only lasted a moment. The setting changed again, now they were in a kitchen and young Alice sat on the counter while her father pulled sweet rolls from a bag. "Now remember Jellybean, don't tell your mother I gave you chocolate this early in the day."

The Carpenter, Robbert, cut the roll in half off and passed Alice the top. She took the mostly chocolate covered pastry and grinned. "I won't daddy."

Robbert took his now plain roll and dipped an end in his coffee. Alice bit of a small piece of her roll before mimicking her father and dunking her roll into her own cup. She wasn't graceful in any way and coffee spilled out of the cup and onto the counter.

Robbert just laughed and wiped up the spill. "And don't tell her about the coffee either. She'd be mad I let you have it."

"Why?"

"Because she thinks it will stunt your growth."

Alice looked down at her cup and wrinkled her noes. "Will it? I don't wanna be short, I want to be as tall as you."

Little Alice had no idea that it didn't matter what she did, she only grew to be five-foot four. She wasn't short, short, but she was in no way tall. Hatter forgot that he wasn't part of the dream and laughed aloud. Young Alice glared at him much the same way she had her coffee just moments before.

Robbert didn't react at all, it was like he didn't even know Hatter was there. "Of course it won't. I'm a scientist, Jellybean. I wouldn't let you have anything that could hurt you."

Alice beamed up at her father. Hatter watched her and her father sharing this moment in the kitchen. He wondered if this was a memory or if it was just something she dreamed up. This could just be a way to fill the emptiness she felt at the lose of her father.

As if his thoughts affected her dream, the world around them faded into a white emptiness. Her father ran his hand over her hair then kissed the top of her head. "I have to go, Jellybean."

He turned and walked away from her. Alice ran after him and latched on to his hand, trying to pull him back. "No, Daddy, please don't go! If you go you'll never come back!"

The two faded away, and he was surrounded by nothing but white. The Cheshire was at his feet now, looking like a strange mix between himself and Alice's former cat. Cheshire was looking around, clearly as lost as he was. Then a muffled sob sounded from behind them.

He turned and saw Alice sitting on the ground. She looked about ten or eleven now. She wasn't curled up or rocking or showing any outward signs of distress. Her arms hung limply at her sides and she stared blankly ahead as tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked alone and utterly defeated.

The Cheshire bounded over to her, climbing into her lap and nudging her chin with his head. "Alice, please don't cry. There's nothing to be sad about."

She looked down at the cat but didn't move to touch him. "You left me."

Cheshire shook his head. "No, I would never leave you. I'll always be with you."

She reached out and pulled him to her chest, curling around him slightly. "Dad left us. Mom's gone trying to find him, but she won't. He's gone away and we'll never find him. I can search the whole world and I'll never find him."

Her head lifted and her blue eyes found his. "You'll leave me too, Hatter."

He felt a stab of pain in his chest. How could she still think he'd leave her?

Cheshire rubbed his head against his cheek. "No Alice, he's too stupid to leave you. Hatter would never do such a thing." The Cheshire glanced backwards. "Tell her! Make her stop crying, I can't stand it!"

"Alice, I'm not going to leave you. I love you."

She hugged Cheshire closer, her tears dripping down into his fur. "Daddy loved me, and he left. He chose to leave. You should just go and get it over with. I don't know why you're toying with me."

Hatter didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know if he was talking to a ten year old Alice or his Alice. Either way, he couldn't erase her feelings about her father no matter what he said.

Cheshire slinked back away from Alice. He grew bigger and his markings returned to normal. He bared his fangs at Hatter and let out a low growl. "Wake her up!" Cheshire lept at him, his claws meeting his chest and sending sharp, biting pain through his skin.

Hatter jolted awake in his seat. Pain still stung his chest and he looked down to find Alice's hand clenched in his shirt, her nails digging into his skin. He pried her fingers away, and shook her gently. "Alice. Alice, wake up."

She woke with a start, her head snapping up and off his shoulder. She looked around, blinking and confused. "What?"

Across from them his mother stilled her knitting. "Alice, are you ok?"

He was stroking her arm, trying to calm her. She pulled away from him and stood. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just... is there a bathroom on the train?"

"Yes, I think it's the next car down." His mother wasn't aware that anything was wrong and returned to her work. Alice slid out of the booth and hurried down the isle.

She slid the bathroom door closed and slumped down to the floor. Her dream was fragmented and fading quickly from her mind but that didn't chase away the feeling of emptiness. Her father had been there, that much she did remember. They'd shared coffee and donuts just like they had so many times when she was little. Whenever he worked overnights at the lab he'd always wake her when he came home. He'd take her into the kitchen and give her the chocolate half of the donut because she didn't like eating the rest. They'd sit, eating together, and he'd tell her stories about knights and princesses and other imaginary things.

Normally that dream was a good one. It was her favorite memory of her father. It was the one she thought of whenever she missed him too much. In her dream he'd been there with her. Then suddenly, he left and she was all alone. The dream brought up a swell of emotions. Hurt and abandonment tugged at her heart and her own feelings of insecurity reminded her he left because he chose to. She sobbed as her feelings took over and she couldn't stop her tears from falling.

There was a knock on the door before she heard Hatter call out to her. "Alice, open the door."

She didn't want him to see her like this. She should have been over these feelings and he wouldn't understand why, now of all times, she was having a breakdown. "I'm fine, I'll be out in a second." Her voice was weak and wobbly. There was no way he was going to believe her.

He opened the door and pushed against it, meeting the resistance of her back. "Alice would you just let me in."

She scooted across the small room, allowing him in. He shut the door behind him and sat down next to her. "I'm sorry, Alice. It's my fault."

His fault? What did he think she was upset about? "I had a bad dream, that's all. I just need a minute to get over it."

"I know, I think I ruined it for you." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I should have never let the Cheshire pull me into your dream. I'm sorry."

"What?" she exclaimed, wiping tears away from her eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"We both fell asleep and somehow, that beast found his way into my dream." He paused, looking like he was trying to recall his own dream. "Then he said we should see what you were dreaming and he sucked me into your dream."

Now she understood, they'd both had a nightmare. He was just confused. "Hatter, you can't go inside someone else's dream. The Cheshire's not here and you weren't in my dream." She brushed him off, not wanting to share her dream with him.

"Yeah I was. I saw you and your father having coffee and rolls."

That got her attention. She'd never told him about that. As a general rule, she avoided talking about her father with him. There was no way he could have known about that unless he had seen her dream. "You really were in my dream?"

He nodded. "You don't remember me being there?"

She tried to recall the dream from her subconscious. "All I remember is my father leaving me. I never saw you or Cheshire. What do you mean, you ruined it for me?"

He explained what he saw. Apparently, he remembered everything about her dream. "I had the thought that you were trying to comfort yourself by dreaming about your dad. As soon as I though that, it was like your dream broke down. I think, somehow, I reminded you that he left."

When he said that, she remembered hearing him talk in her dream. She could hear him saying that she was empty. Then she remembered everything, him, the Cheshire pretending to be Dinah, the feeling of being completely alone. She told him that he would leave her, that loving her wasn't enough to keep him from leaving. She didn't really believe that and had no clue why she would accuse him of such a thing.

Those words must have hurt him. "I'm sorry, Hatter, I didn't mean to say that. I know you are not going to leave me."

"No, it was my fault, I never should have been there in the first place." She leaned into him and he pulled her closer to his side. "I'm not going to leave you Alice. I promise. I don't know how long it's going to take to drive these feelings out of you but I'm not going to give up."

She wanted to defend herself, argue that those feeling had no place in their relationship, but she couldn't. The ache in her heart and the emptiness she felt were too strong. There was no way she was over this, not if a dream could hurt her so badly. Somewhere, deep inside herself, she was still hurt and wounded.

"Come on." he said, pulling her to her feet. "We need to get back before someone gets the wrong idea."

"The wrong idea?"

He smiled and winked at her. "Yeah, about why we were alone together in the bathroom for so long." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Unless you want to give them a reason to talk."

Her smile was half-hearted, but she tried to follow his example and lighten the mood. "I think we should just go take our seats. I don't want to get thrown off the train for public indecency."

_A/n_

_This was not intended to be a full chapter on dreams. There was only supposed to be the few paragraphs about Hatter and the Cheshire, then Hatter was going to wake up. Instead I decided to get a one-shot out of my system by combining it with this chapter. _

_The one-shot was going to be Hatter somehow getting into Alice's dream and both of them being represented as children. Ten year old Alice is stuck on a ledge and thirteen year old Hatter is trying to talk her into jumping so he could catch her. I don't know why that idea is so damn cute to me but I really liked it. Dreams are a great way to play around with her insecurities and his trust issues. I might still write that but if anyone else want to take a shot at it, be my guest._

_On a side note, Hatter calling donuts 'sweet rolls' just seemed right. I doubt they would call them donuts in Wonderland. In the real world, the only people who should ever be allowed to call donuts 'sweet rolls' or 'rolls' are over sixty. Anyone younger than that, needs to learn to call it a donut. Just a little something that ticks me off. _

_Oh, and there is also another chapter of Lessons up if you're interested._


	30. Star lit

_A/N_

_Sorry this is so late. I had a bad cold this week so I spent most of the time I should have been writing, sleeping. Hope this was worth the wait._

Star lit

Edith had called for a driver to pick them up from the train station when they arrived in the city. Ground transportation was something that varied in the White Side. In small towns, like the one where his parents lived, animals were still the most common form. Horses were most often used but people also used tapiors and hipparion. In large cities like Pearlivory, motor vehicles were more commonly used.

Which was why they were being driven to his sisters home by her personal driver. Judging by the neighborhood and the size of the house, Karen had definitely married up. All the homes here were set back far from the drive and had lovely, well manicured lawns.

When his mother told him Karen had married a doctor, Hatter hadn't expected it to be a prominent one. People didn't usually marry outside their class here. How Karen had caught the eye of a rich doctor, he didn't know. The car pulled up next to a particularly large home. The three story, brown brick home had large windows and a long wrap-around front porch. They were greeted at the door by a woman his mother called Peggy.

Peggy was his sister's maid. Karen had a bloody maid! He looked around her home, taking in the posh furniture and highly polished wooden floors. His sister was living like a queen.

"Mom, welcome back." Hatter turned and saw a tall, dark-haired man embracing his mother.

"Thomas, congratulations! Where's Karen?"

"Upstairs, she's under bed rest, doctor's orders." Thomas winked down at his mother before looking at Hatter and Alice.

"Tom, you've never met before, but this is my son, David."

Thomas held out his hand and Hatter shook it. "Karen told me about you. You ran away from home years ago, right?"

"Yeah, it's a long story. I'm back for a bit of a visit."

"I'm sure Karen will be thrilled."

They followed Thomas up a grand staircase to a room at the far end of the hall. "Honey, you have visitors."

Karen was sitting up in bed, her brown hair hanging in a lose braid over her shoulder, a book resting in her lap. She looked up, her eyes going wide at the sight of him.

"David!"

She started out of bed but Thomas stopped her. "Don't, you need to stay in bed."

Karen settled back down and Hatter went to her instead. She held out her arms and he went to go hug her. He wasn't expecting it when she slapped him hard across the cheek.

"What the hell was that for!" he asked, hand held to his stinging cheek.

"For making me worry, you insensitive little brat! You couldn't call or write or anything?"

"I was on the other side," he said, motioning to nothing. "How exactly did you want me to get a hold of ya?"

Karen crossed her arms and huffed. "I don't know... dream message."

He laughed at that. Back when they were younger, his sisters used to pretend they could pass messages to each other in dreams. Keith used to tease them all the time about how he was going to send them nightmares. "That's just something you made up, it's not real, it doesn't work."

"Well you don't know do you? Because you didn't try. I missed you." She held her arms out again, but this time he was hesitant.

"Are you going to hit me again?"

She tugged on his arm and pulled him down into her arms. "Ungrateful little brother you are."

She wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her back. "Sorry sis."

Karen sat back and smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt. "What have you been doing all this time? I want to know everything."

"It's a long story, I'd like to see my grand-baby first." Edith interjected.

"I'll go get her." Thomas left and Karen sighed and slumped down into her pillows.

"Was the birth a difficult one?" He asked.

"No, he's being overbearing. Being married to a doctor means you aren't entitled to a second opinion. There's nothing wrong with me, I wish he'd just let me out of bed."

Edith sat on the opposite side of the bed. "Enjoy it while it lasts. This will be the last time you get to just sit about for the next fifteen years or so."

Hatter got up and brought Alice around to Karen's side of the bed. "Karen, this is Alice."

"Alice?" Karen asked, the corners of her mouth arching up into a slight smile.

"Another very long story." Edith added.

Thomas came back, holding his daughter in his arms. "Here she is."

Edith hurried across the room, scooping the little girl up and into her arms. "She's perfect! Oh Karen, she looks just like you."

"Really? I think she looks like Tom."

Edith shook her head and continued to coo over the baby. "She's the spitting image of you when you were a baby. What's her name?"

Karen and Tomas exchanged a worried look. "We don't have one yet."

Thomas brushed a few wispy strands of hair off his daughters forehead."We can't decide. I like the name Isabelle."

"And I want to name her Agnes."

Edith arched an eyebrow. "She's three days old, what have you been calling her?"

"Angel."

"Baby."

Edith looked down at the sleeping infant in her arms. "Poor little darling." she said, adding another endearment to the list.

"I'm sure we'll decide on something soon." Thomas said. "Why don't I show you to your rooms so you can freshen up. Dinner is almost ready."

"Am I going to be _allowed _to eat with my family, or are you going to keep me locked up here like a prisoner?" Karen's voice dripped with sarcasm but if Tom noticed, he wasn't letting on.

"Only if you promise not to run around trying to do any work. You still need your rest you know."

Karen swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Yes, Queen forbid if I'm not rested."

They left Karen to get dressed and Thomas showed them to their rooms. He was going to put Hatter and Alice in the same room until Edith objected to the idea. "They are not married yet.

Alice groaned inwardly. It really would have been nice to sleep in the same room together. Of course, Edith's room was further down the hall from hers and the walls in this house seemed much thicker than his parents. Maybe they could sneak a few hours alone tonight.

Hatter and Karen did most of the talking over dinner, each sharing stories of the last fifteen years. Hatter again went over the story of their adventure taking down the Queen. That really seemed to get Karen's interest and she promised Alice that she'd tell her all about the other Alices.

Thomas didn't seem to care whether she was The Alice or not, he was interested in the fact that she was an Oyster. In particular, he wondered about her Oyster mark and what chemical processes would be involved in creating such a thing.

Normally she would have been uncomfortable with someone who was so interested in her being an Oyster, but with Thomas, she wasn't. She understood how he could be curious about her. After all, she was basically an alien here. Thomas was a man of science just like her father. Her dad once told her that a good scientist never let an opportunity to learn pass him by.

Of course all that would have to wait. She and Hatter had to go see the Oracles tomorrow and then after that see what they could find out about her father.

After dinner, Karen, Thomas and Edith all tended to the baby, getting her ready for bed. There was one guest bathroom on the second floor and Hatter told her to take a bath first. The guest bathroom was the definition of luxury and she thoroughly enjoyed the huge bathtub it offered. She now sat on her bed, drying her hair and thinking of tomorrow.

What would the Oracles be like? Hatter said they were hand-picked by the White Queen herself to speak for her. He was pretty confident that they did in fact communicate with the Queen. Speaking to people who thought they heard voices was one thing, talking to someone who communed with a god was something completely different. She was afraid she'd say the wrong thing and make the Queen angry.

A light pounce on the bed signaled the return of the Cheshire. She was wondering when he was going to show up again. She didn't turn to acknowledge him. "That was a funny little prank you played on the train."

"I'm sorry about that. My intentions were good, I didn't know you were so... fragile."

She turned and scowled at him. "I'm not fragile."

"No, of course not." He shied away from her, his ear flattening against his head. "I didn't know your father left you."

She didn't want to talk to Cheshire about her father. "So tomorrow, Hatter and I need to see the Oracles. I'm nervous, will you tell me about them."

"Do you really have to?" he said, flopping down on the bed and looking dejected. "Those three are mad. I don't even like talking to them, I doubt you'll want to be in their company long."

"We have to, I owe the knights a lot. We need to get the the sides working together so the kingdom can be restored."

"If you must." he rolled his eyes and scratched at the blanket. "There are three Oracles, each speaks only part of what the Queen is actually saying. She can't speak directly with them, she just infuses their minds with images and words, so you have to keep an open mind about what they say."

She stood up and walked around to the end of the bed. "Is there some kind of protocol I'm supposed to follow? How should I act?"

Cheshire circled round to face her. His front legs stretched out before him and his hind end arched in the air, tail excitedly flicking. "We can do a mock run." He sat up on his hand legs and his fur turned completely white. "I'll play the part of an Oracle, and you of course will play yourself."

He looked around the bed then pointed at one of the throw pillows. "That can play the part of Davey."

She rested her hands on her hips. "Stop making fun of Hatter. Let's get on with this."

"Ok," the Cheshire said, loudly clearing his throat. "This court recognizes Alice."

"Court?"

He waved his paw. "It's nothing, they just like calling it that. Now the first thing you are going to want to do is curtsy."

"Ok," She held out the sides of her nightgown and attempted her best curtsy.

"Splendid, now, what is your business today, Champion of Wonderland?"

"I'm here to... appeal to the court that the White Side join the Red in restoring the Kingdom of the Knights."

He nodded. "That's good, keep it simple. Those three don't just talk for the Queen, they'll likely try and trap you in conversation. They're actually quite attention starved, especially the younger one."

There was a knock at the door. Before she could react, the Cheshire called out to the person. "Come in, my love."

Hatter came in and quickly went to the bed, grabbing at the already fading Cheshire. "I told you to stay away from her." There was no reply and when the Cheshire didn't reappear, he turned his attention to her. "Chase him away! He has no business being around you."

"Hatter." she sighed, feeling exhausted. "I know you don't like him, but he is full of information. He was just telling me about the Oracles."

"Oh I'm sure that's reliable information." He was checking under the bed still looking for the Cheshire. "He's still here somewhere."

She grabbed her jacket off the chair and pulled it on. "Lets get out of the house and go for a walk. Just the two of us, alone!" she said, looking around the empty room. Hopefully Cheshire would take the hint.

They left through the back door and snuck out the side way down the street. It was late, and the streets were quiet. The night air was a little chilly and her hair was still damp from her bath. It would have been nice to just sit together in her room, but Hatter wouldn't have been comfortable. Cheshire was likely still there in the house, or where ever he went when he faded away. Hopefully he didn't follow them.

They walked a few blocks until they came to a little park. She was surprised when he lead them into it. Parks weren't the safest places to be at night in her world, but Hatter had a good enough nose for danger that she trusted his judgment.

The park was beautiful. Large willow like trees lined the path, each in bloom with little white flowers. Lighting bugs flitted back and forth in the air and grass.

"Let's go this way." he said as he lead her off the path and into the field. They stopped in the middle and they sat together in the grass. She laid down next to him and looked up at the night sky. The stars here seemed brighter than back home but then again she'd never really been far from the city lights.

"Do you think the stars are the same here as they are in my world?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure how connected our worlds are." He sat with his arms wrapped around his knees, looking up at the star filled sky. "What do you think would have happened, if the mirror had worked?"

She looked at him, but his eyes remained fixed on the night sky. "Well, I don't know. I guess I would have gone home."

She remembered the feelings she had when faced with the mirror that last time. She'd been so tired of Wonderland then, only having seen the worst of it. Her feelings for Hatter were just as mixed. She knew there was something between the two of them but he seemed to want to be rid of her. He'd said goodbye after all.

She knew now why he was so awkward during that goodbye, but if she'd gone back to her world, she'd never have gotten that explanation. Whatever met her on the return trip home, it wouldn't have been Hatter. Jack told her she would return home shortly after she left, chances are no one would have missed her. It would be like Wonderland had never happened.

Would she and Hatter have ever even seen each other again? That upset her and she actually felt a little sick at the thought of never seeing him again. He thought she still wanted to be with Jack and she thought he didn't want to see her again. But she had told him he could visit her world. Maybe he would have taken her up on that offer.

"Would you have come to visit me?" she asked, slightly nervous.

He reached down and took her hand. "Probably. I followed you every other time you left me and your boyfriend hadn't deterred me before so I can't imagine it would have made a difference then. Besides, I was so love sick at the time I would have followed you even if you hadn't asked me. Pretty pathetic, yeah?"

"No, far from it." She tugged on his hand and he laiddown next to her. "I would have taken you out to pizza."

He offered her his arm and she rested her head against him. "When would we have gotten to the 'lots of other things' part?"

She rolled her eyes. "No sooner than we got to them here. And that's not what I meant. I was going to show you around the city, you know, show you how Oysters live."

"Oh well that sounds _so_ much better then what I had in mind. If only _that_ had happened." his voice was laced with sarcasm.

She snuggled into his chest and breathed in the scent of him. "I'm happy with how things worked out. I wouldn't change anything."

"Neither would I. Strange how it all worked out though. You came close to being stuck here, I'm not sure you would have been happy with that."

It wouldn't have been so bad, if there was no other choice but to live here. She would have missed her mother terribly and probably would never have stopped trying to get back to her. As far as living in Wonderland, that wouldn't have been a problem.

Even though she was never be able to express how happy she was that the Looking Glass was up and running again, staying behind wouldn't have been the end of the world. If they were forced to stay she could see them leaving the White Side and building a life here. It was beautiful here and the people were friendly. Not to mention having his family around. It really would be nice.

They could get a house close enough that his mother could visit but far enough away that he wouldn't have to see his dad all the time. Maybe Kenny could move in with them, then he could get away from his father also. She wouldn't mind that, she really did like Kenny. She was sure they could make a living here just as well as they could in the Red Side. The Cheshire would be the only problem, but she could find a way around that, maybe find a way to make peace between the two.

Now things were getting to the point that she was actually sad to be leaving Wonderland. It was really a shame that they'd never be able to come back here. She though of their future and the fact that his family would never be a part of it. It really wasn't far. One day they'd have children and they'd never know what a wonderful family they could have been a part of.

Suddenly, she realized she was thinking about having a family with Hatter. A wave of panic seized her and she flinched in his arms.

His hold on her tightened. "You ok?"

"Yeah," she lied. "I just got a chill that's all."

He rubbed her arm. "Do you want to go back inside?"

"No, I'm fine." She tucked her head closer to his chest, to avoid having to look at him.

She'd never thought about marrying anyone before. She'd never had a relationship she saw lasting long enough for that kind of thinking. Here she was, considering building a life together with Hatter and thinking of having children with him. Somewhere, deep in her mind, a little voice she'd never heard before asked her what was wrong with that?

She had no answer. For once in her life, she had no doubts. She looked up at him, studying the line of his jaw and the way his hair fell across his forehead. To think that way, them moving forward together, had become second nature. She didn't think of what _she_ would do or how _she_ was going to get through something, instead it was they and them and how they were going to do things.

We... us... Alice and Hatter.

He looked down at her, his dark brown eyes finding hers. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Yeah, she was fine. She leaned over his chest, resting her hands at his sides. "I love you."

He didn't react, instead he just stared into her eyes for a long moment. "Why? Why now?"

Why not yesterday or the day before that or the day before that? He wanted to know what was driving this but she wasn't sure she had a good answer. "Because if I had gone home, you would have come for me. If I was stranded here, you would have taken care of me."

She dropped his gaze and her hands toyed with the collar of his shirt. "When we go home, you'll be with me. I can't envision a future without you, and I don't want to." She splayed her hand out over his chest, feeling his heart strongly beating, and looked back up at him. "Because I love you."

He placed a hand over hers and sat up. He kissed her, soft and warm and sweet. He whispered he loved her before pushing her down into the grass.

_A/n_

_I plan on writing a M continuation for the end of this chapter but I'll probably put in on hold for awhile. I have some very special one-shots planed because... I now am a proud owner of the Alice night one script! I don't have a scanner atm so I'm going to post all the extra bits that didn't get aired as one shots. Eventually I'll get a scanner and find a way to share the script. Until then the one shots will have to do. _

_The first one will be an extra scene from the boat chase where, shockingly enough, Alice and Hatter talk about pizza!_

_Oh, and if anyone has a copy or knows where I can get one, I still need the night two script. _


	31. Queen Alice

Queen Alice.

"Cheshire said we should just state what we're here for and leave quickly."

They'd left early that morning to meet with the Oracles. Karen offered to have her driver take them into the city but they opted to walk instead. It would give them the time and privacy they needed to discuss things. They planned on going to the library after meeting with the Oracles and see if they could find any information about her father and the other scientists.

Apparently, bringing up the Cheshire had been a mistake. "I can't believe you! Do you realize you speak of that _thing_ like it's your friend?"

Alice sighed. There had to be some way to make Hatter warm up to Cheshire. "We need to take whatever help is being offered here. Just try and put your issues behind you."

"Issues?" He abruptly stopped walking and turned to face her "_You_ have issues. I have valid complaints and legitimate concerns."

"I never said you didn't. I just think we need to look where ever we can for help and Cheshire's about the most powerful help we can get. He talks to the Oracles all the time, we don't. There's no harm in taking his advice."

"There is when it's him!" Hatter turned and stomped away from her.

She ran to catch up with him, grabbing his arm to try and stop him. "Hatter, please stop."

He stopped but didn't look at her. "I'm not saying you have to like him or even forgive him, but if he has information for us, then we should accept it."

He didn't respond, but he did wrap his arm around her shoulder, meaning that he wasn't too upset with her. They walked in silence the rest of the way.

Alice took in the city as they went, the bustling shops and busy roads. It reminded her of New York, except without the tall buildings. In fact, there didn't seem to be a building higher than three stories. It was strange but that did make it easy to find the temple of the Oracles. It was clearly the largest structure here and could be seen from just about everywhere.

The temple was surrounded by a high white-stone wall. She was surprised that there were no guards outside or anywhere around the temple. They stood before a large ornately carved gate. Not knowing what else to do, Hatter tried to pull on the gate, but found that it was locked.

He snapped his fingers and grinned down at her. "Oh, I have an idea. Why don't you call your buddy the Cheshire and ask him to open the gate." His expression fell and he turned back to the gate. He knocked, using the extra strength in his right hand to pound on the thick wood.

"Gate's closed."

They looked around, not finding the source of the voice.

"Up here, idiots."

They looked up to see a very heavy set man sitting atop the wall. He wore coveralls and a plain white shirt. His bald head tapered to an almost natural point and his features were set in what looked like a permanent scowl.

"Don't just stand there, state your name and business."

"My name is Alice and this is David." For once, she hoped her name would gain her some credit and maybe that man would let them in. "We're ambassadors for the Kingdom of the Knights and we're here to see the Oracles."

"Well la tee da, bet you really think you're something don't ya?." The man spat before taking a bite of his sandwich. "Gate's broken."

Hatter grasped her shoulder and stepped in front of her. "Who are you and what the hell are you doing up there?"

"The name's Humphrey and I'm maintenance."

Hatter threw up his hands in exasperation. "Then stop chomping and fix it so we can get in."

Humphrey shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Can't, its lunch time."

"How long is lunch?" she asked.

"I got another hour. If you want to get in that badly, ya can climb up and hop the wall." Humphrey nodded towards a rickety ladder leaning along the wall.

Hatter was going to argue more with the man but she stopped him. "Let's just climb the wall. He's not going to help us."

"Smart girl. Plain looking, ordinary, short, but smart."

Hatter grabbed the rungs of the ladder. "I'm going to push him off the wall."

"Ignore him, I think he's too fat, the fall would kill him" She followed him up the ladder. Hatter turned when he reached the top of the wall and helped her up. The wall was extremely narrow and there wasn't enough room for the two of them to stand in the same spot.

Hatter made sure she was steady before he turned and looked at Humphrey. "How in the world do you keep your balance?"

Humphrey held his head up high. "Sir, despite my grand stature, I have excellent balance."

Hatter moved down towards the next ladder. "Yeah, grand is definitely an appropriate word."

Going down a ladder on the opposite side of the wall, they found themselves in a beautiful garden. Flowers of all types bloomed here and they were all white. Oddly, there didn't seem to be any people around. There were no workers in the garden and stranger still, no guards or anyone to greet them as they entered the building.

Everything here was white. The walls and floors were made of pure white marble. White tapestries hung on the walls, presenting pictures in varying shades of off-white. Large clear glass vases held white roses. Tall arched windows were etched with intricate patterns that cast soft swirling shadows on the floor. Again, just as with the front gate and entrance, there were no guards. The hallway emptied into a grand room with large marble columns and high, arched ceilings.

In the center of the room, sitting on their thrones were the three Oracles. In the middle was an elderly man, his long white beard falling almost to the floor. To his left was a beautiful woman who looked to be in her late twenties, she had long white hair and piercing blue eyes. To his right was a young boy who couldn't be older than thirteen. All three were dressed in immaculate white robes and had crowns of silver and pearls on their heads.

She and Hatter slowly approached the seated figures. Remembering the Cheshire's words, she curtsied before speaking. "Hello, my name is Alice and...

"You will speak when spoken to." commanded the elder in a wobbly voice.

"If we did that, no one would ever talk." Hatter said, cautiously.

"The messenger will remain quite." said the young boy.

"Messenger?"

The young boy spoke. "Now, the court recognizes Queen Alice."

"You must have us confused with someone else. David's not a messenger and I'm not a queen."

"Sure you are. You crossed from the Red Side to the White didn't you?" The eldest said excitedly, clapping his hands.

"Well, yes but..."

"Then you are a queen. When you reached the other side you become crowned." The old man went to stand but the woman pushed him back into his seat.

She leaned in close to the elderly mans ear, speaking loudly. "I don't think we honor that anymore. Not since we shut the borders down. No more games you know."

"Yes." said the youngest. "No point having prizes if no one can play the game."

The elder Oracle nodded. "True, true. Point taken. Though I did so love them. I'm sorry my dear, it seems there are no longer crowns. Could I interest you in nightcap? "

She wasn't sure if he was talking about an actual nightcap or a drink. "No thank you."

Hatter glanced around. "Why are there no other people here?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Our Queen can only tolerate so many mortals. She prefers the company of a select few."

The youngest walked down the dais and stood before them. "You are here for reasons correct? State them."

Alice looked at Hater but he just held up his hands. "Don't look at me, you're the one they want to talk to, I'm just a messenger."

She spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. "We're here as ambassadors for the Kingdom of the Knights. We're asking that you match the Red Side's effort in re-building the kingdom."

Again, the eldest spoke up. "Oh I remember that, good times I had there. That Red King, he was quite the chess player. Never could beat him." He leaned forward speaking in a slightly lower voice. "I suspected him of cheating, but I could never prove it."

The young boy tilted his head in thought. "I'm not old enough to remember the knights." He turned and looked at the woman. "Are you?"

She waved her hand. "If I am, I don't remember, nor do I care. I'm allergic to horses and I do believe those are ramped there."

Alice held out the letter and offering Jack had sent. "This is from the King of Hearts. It's his request for assistance. The box is an offering for the White Queen."

The woman took the letter and handed it to the boy, then took the box and opened it. "Read aloud what the false king has to say." She then returned to her spot next to the elder Oracle.

The young boy read Jack's letter, and the woman dug through the countenance of the offering. She sat on the steps near the elderly man and handed him a few gems from the box. Most of the gold and gems she tossed carelessly over her shoulder, making a face of disgust.

"Couldn't they send something worthwhile?" She said, tossing another gem.

The elderly Oracle held a gold necklace up, watching as the sapphires glinted in the light. "Treacle would have been nice, maybe a nice sampling of jam."

The young Oracle, who had been reading Jack's letter, stopped mid-sentence. "I hate jam."

The woman reached the bottom of the offering box and turned it upside down, checking for anything she might have missed. "Is this all he sent?"

She and Hatter exchanged a worried glance. What if Jack's offering wasn't enough? They had nothing of value to add to what was already offered. "Yes, that's all that was sent."

"In the Red Side, that is a considerable amount of wealth. Even here it's a lot." Hatter added.

"It will do," said the woman. She tossed the empty box over her shoulder and it hit the floor, joining the gold and gems.

The young boy folded Jacks letter and stuck it in his pocket. "Our Queen will send the requested amount of help to the Kingdom of the Knights."

"Now, on to important matters." the woman said, looking intently at Alice. "Our Queen is immensely happy that you two have come to us."

"She's ever so excited," said the elderly Oracle. "Our Queen was greatly disappointed when you were called to the Red Side and not scheduled to make an appearance here. Imagine her glee when you decided to join us."

"Scheduled?" Alice asked, looking at Hatter.

He just shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea."

The woman had a strange, faraway look on her face as she spoke. "Our Queen wishes to extend a welcome here, indefinitely if you choose. Of course she understands you normally take your leave once your calling is answered and return to the Old World. As she is graceful, she holds you no ill will."

Hatter placed his hand on Alice's shoulder and pulled her back. "As much as we'd love to stay, we really must be going."

"We shall have a party!" They young Oracle exclaimed, that same faraway look on his face, "To celebrate Alice's return."

"No, I hate parties." said the eldest. "I can't stand loud noises."

The woman rolled her eyes and glared back at him. "All you can hear is loud noises, you don't hate them."

"What? I can't hear you, speak up."

"See I told you they were mad." Alice looked down at the Cheshire who as usual, had appeared out of nowhere. "Turn around quickly and leave before they get any more ideas."

"It's out of temper, I think." said the woman.

"It's having a fit!" spat the elder.

"It's in a snit!" added the young boy. "It's peevish."

The Cheshire held his paw up to his forehead. "Yes I know your Majesty; it is rude of me to interrupt. I was out of turn. I ought not call them mad."

The woman stomped her foot causing both Alice and Hatter to take a step back. "Just what I'm complaining about! You should have meant it; you're no good without meaning!"

"Yes," said the boy. "Even a joke has meaning. Are you not even up to the standards of a joke?"

The woman suddenly smiled and turned to the young boy. "Now my dear brother, I would like to invite you to Alice's dinner party."

"And I invite you, dear sister." he said in return.

"We never agreed to a party." said Hatter.

"The messenger will speak when it is his turn to do so!" shouted the elder.

"You will not speak to a servant of mine that way" Cheshire growled, the fur on the back of his neck raised up. "Neither Alice nor Hatter will be staying here! My celebration is soon, she's my guest of honor. They shall remain in the city no longer than tomorrow evening!"

"A nasty vicious temper." said the elder, scowling.

The woman turned and huffed. "To be so nasty as to deny me my pleasures! What a beast you are, hoarding Alice to yourself."

"Yes, your Majesty, I'm horribly wicked and ill-mannered, now we will be leaving." Cheshire turned and nudged Alice's leg.

They left quickly, still hearing the Oracles arguing as they left. Once they were back outside in the garden, Hatter stopped.

"Why are you calling me Hatter? You've always called me Davey."

She looked between Hatter and the Cheshire, not quite understanding the change in attitude between the two. "That's your question? Out of everything that just happened in there, you want to know why he's calling you Hatter?"

"And you," she said, pointing at Cheshire. "You defended him, why? I thought you hated him."

The Cheshire flopped lazily on the ground, looking like he was bored. "I don't hate him, I resent him." He looked up at Hatter. "I called you Hatter in there because that's what they know you as."

"And in the dream? You called me Hatter then as well."

Cheshire sighed. "That is what Alice calls you. I didn't want to confuse Dream Alice by calling you Davey. Now, can we please talk of more important things?"

Cheshire got to his feet, circling Alice's legs. "You said you wanted to buy Davey off me, right?"

Hatter grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the circling feline. "You said what?"

She flinched at the anger in his voice. "We were just talking, I never agreed to anything."

"Of course not, that's why we're talking now. Don't get your feathers ruffled, it's not like I'm asking for your first born."

"No, you've already asked for that once."

Cheshire waved him off. "I've changed my mind, human babies are far too messy. No, I've decided to give you to Alice, free and clear."

He disappeared and reappeared in Alice's arms. "All I ask in return is that you join me at my celebration."

Hatter grabbed Cheshire by the scruff of the neck and held him out in mid air. "What's the catch?"

The cat just shrugged. "No catch and no trick either. All I'm asking for is her company for one day." He looked at Alice but made no move to get out of Hatter's hold. "It's an easy deal, and then he'll be all yours."

"You promise?" she asked, still uncertain.

Cheshire disappeared and reappeared at her feet. "Cross my heart. You trust me, don't you Alice."

Hatter sneered as the words he'd spoken so many times were so casually spoken by the Cheshire. "She has no reason to trust you."

"No, I don't have a good reason to trust him." She knelt down and stroked the Cheshire's back. "But I do."

"It's settled then!" Cheshire jumped up and vanished, only his toothy grin left hanging in the air. "I'll get started on the preparations and you two head for home tomorrow evening."

Once the Cheshire was completely gone, Hatter held out a hand and pulled her to her feet. "You love trouble don't you?"

"Hatter, I really think everything will be fine."

He shook his head. "We'll see, it's too late to do anything else now. Come on, we only have until tomorrow to find out about your father. We'll have to hurry."

_A/n_

_This chapter is a reflection of a few chapters in The Looking Glass. Mostly the chapters Humpty Dumpty and Queen Alice. The Oracles are a bit mad and get even more so when the Queen tries to speak directly through them. Hopefully you like it. Review if you do, review if you don't. :)_


	32. The Lion and the Unicorn

The Lion and the Unicorn

Alice sighed in frustration as she stared at the pile of leather-bound books before her. They'd been in the 'Scientific Reports and Public Records' section of the Grand Library for hours now. Small blessing that it was, the thick journals were all in neat organization and she and Hatter were able to narrow their search to the years he thought her father had been on the White Side.

There were only two Universities here, the Lion and the Unicorn. So far there'd been no mention of any disappearances or accidents that would explain ten missing scientists. Instead she'd been assaulted by a steady stream of technical terms and mind numbing statistical documents. If these journals didn't turn up anything, the next step was going through the newspaper archives. Hatter had already told her they'd have to give up if it came to that. Without knowing what year her father was abducted, searching the news papers would be almost impossible. They just didn't have the time.

She closed the book before her and rubbed her tired eyes. "Nothing in these."

Hatter came around the corner, another stack of books piled high in his arms. "Well, this is it then. Based on the time your parents met, this is the last possible year your father could have been here."

As he split the journals between them, she was struck by the finality of all this. If these books held no mention of her father's disappearance, then there was no chance she'd ever know the truth. She knew she'd never be able to act on any information she found and honestly, that wasn't really an issue. She just wanted to know the truth. What was his real name? Did he have a family here? Did he have other children?

She opened the first book and started scanning over each page. She looked for anything that didn't resemble a research document, something that stood out from the reports and sample statistics pages.

Hatter took the seat across from her, looking through his own pile of books. "Alice, if we can't find anything, will it bother you?"

She shrugged. "A little. It's the not-knowing that bothers me."

He made a noise of understanding and continued looking through the journal. "You won't be devastated or anything, right? I mean, if we find nothing, will you be able to accept that?"

She let out a long, breathy sigh. "I don't have a choice, do I? We can't just outright ask anyone, I know that. I just... it would be nice to have answers."

He didn't ask any more questions and they both focused on the task at hand. An hour later, and they'd turned up nothing. She closed her book, the last spark of hope dying in her heart. Her last option was gone; there was nothing left to cling to.

"I'm sorry, luv."

She pushed away from the table and stood. She fought against her disappointment and had to quickly wipe away a tear that threatened to fall. "No, it's all right, really. I know so much more about my father now than I ever did before I came to Wonderland, I should be grateful for that."

Hatter took her hand and she followed him out of the library. They were both quiet as they walked back to Karen's. Once they got there, he stopped just outside the porch. "You go on inside, I've got something I need to take care of."

She turned and gave him a puzzled look. "What?"

"There's just something I need to do." he said, slowly backing away. "You go make sure mom's not driving Karen nuts and I'll be back before you know it."

She was going to argue but thought better of it. She had no right to hound him about where he was going or what he was doing. She was curious about what he could possibly need to take care if here in the city, but she wasn't going to nag him about it. "Just stay out of trouble, ok?"

"That's my line for you, luv." He called over his shoulder as he walked away.

Hatter felt badly for excluding Alice in what he was about to do, but he felt he had no choice. She was too emotionally involved in the search for her father and wouldn't be able to hold in those emotions. It was true that there was nothing in the records that stated any form of accident had happened, but he'd read enough that he had a hunch where to look.

He'd noticed that the Unicorn and the Lion were normally neck and neck in the race for developing new technologies. However, at the end of the last year they'd looked over, the Unicorn was well ahead of the Lion. Something must have happened to cause that kind of gap between the two. It was a long shot, but the loss of ten scientists would definitely put the Lion behind.

The only problem was that he couldn't just walk into the University of the Lion and ask about missing or dead scientists. He had to come up with a legitimate reason why he was here and asking questions. He could use the ambassador angle but that would only explain the why, not give him a reason to ask about the missing scientists.

Locating the universities didn't take long. Both were in the same part of the city and directly across from each other. He heard shouting as he rounded the corner.

A man and woman were in the middle of the street. They both stood a few feet apart from each other, gesturing wildly as they argued. The man had pure white hair despite his relatively young age. The woman looked young as well, no older than thirty. Her golden blonde hair was piled high atop her head in a messy bun. They were yelling quite loudly and strangely enough, the man was shaking a carrot at the woman. The woman was also armed, but her choice of weapon was an egg.

"Keep your students from fraternizing with ours! We don't need them spreading incompetence!" shouted the woman.

"Incompetence!" the man yelled, his head held high as he stared down his nose at her. "Speak for yourself! Never have I seen a more gamely group of miscreants as that poor excuse of a student body of yours."

Hatter decided it was best to avoid the couple and tried to slip past unnoticed. He made it to the entrance of the Lion building when the woman spotted him.

"You!" she shouted, hurrying towards him. She held up her egg as if she was going to throw it at him. "Are you animal, or vegetable?"

"I beg your pardon?" What the hell did she mean 'animal or vegetable'?

The man quickly followed her. He pulled the woman back by her arm, causing her to trip and fall. He paid her no mind and stepped over her. "My good sir, you are about to commit a grievous error."

"Traitorous equine!" shouted the woman as she struggled to get on her feet.

"Now," said the man, ignoring the woman all together. "I can assure you, whatever your needs are, they will best be met by the University of the Unicorn."

"He was standing at my door! He wants nothing to do with you!" She threw her egg at the man and he howled in disgust as shell and yoke dripped down his lab coat.

She pulled another egg from her coat pocket, and tossed it causally in the air a few times. "Now, just who are you here to see?"

By this time the man had joined them again and was once more holding his carrot as if to throw it at Hatter. "Yes, good sir, who will it be? Me, or this childish egg thrower?"

What a choice, get pelted with an egg or a carrot. "Look I'm not looking to cause any trouble, ok? So let's just put the food down. I'm here to visit the University of the Lion."

He ducked as the carrot was hurled at his head. The man threw his hands up and walked away, disappearing into the building across the street.

The woman held her chin high looking very smug. She gave her egg one more toss before tucking it away in her pocket. "Good choice sir. Now allow me to introduce myself, my name is Lory Leverich, chief administrator of the University of the Lion."

He held out his hand to her. "David Temple, I'm an ambassador for the Kingdom of the Knights. I've heard your University is the best in the White Side and was hoping for a tour and maybe a brief history."

Lory's face practically lit up with excitement. "Of course! Right this way, Mr. Temple." She led him into the school. "For the past five hundred years, the University of the Lion has been the leader in scientific advances, focusing mostly on bio-molecular manipulation."

Hatter followed close behind her and almost stumbled over her when she suddenly turned around. "Rumor has it that _Alice_ is also here as an ambassador to your kingdom, is that true?"

How did she know about that? No one knew they were even here, let alone what they were here for. They'd only met with the Oracles a few hours. "News travels quickly around here I suppose."

"Yes, very." She said, waving his curiosity off as if it was unimportant. "_Why _didn't she accompany you?"

He was starting to get uneasy. This woman seemed to know too much and was way too interested in Alice. "She has other business to attend to."

She sighed. "Pity, it would be a once in a lifetime chance to study her."

"Study?"

"Of course, Wonderlanders and Old Worlders are hundreds of generations removed from one another. Comparing her DNA to our own would give us a unique look into the diversity between her people and ours. Genetically, Old Worlders could have evolved differently then us. Contrary wise, it would also show how Wonderland and the Queens affected our own evolution. " She paused and then turned. "Do you think she would come down and allow us to take a few samples?"

No, there was no way Alice was coming anywhere near here. He wasn't going to allow these people to poke and prod her like some animal. "I doubt it, besides, we'll be leaving tomorrow."

Lory punched a pass code into the security box, allowing them into the research section of the University. "Pity. Personally, I'd love to find out if there is a physiological reason why she's drawn to Wonderland. Perhaps there is something in her DNA the Queens use to call her back."

"I don't think…"

She cut him off before he could argue with her. She sounded like she was talking out loud to herself rather than actually talking to him. "Of course that would mean that all Alices are related to one another and, based on historical fact, we know that can't be true. However, that would mean Wonderland was able to reach outside its boundary and affect the Old World, thus creating a situation in which an Alice could be born. Then it would have to alter the events of said Alice's life and guide her back to Wonderland, which seems like an extremely complicated means to an end."

Again, this woman was talking about Alice like she was a thing and not a person. "Alice isn't _that_ Alice."

Again, Lory abruptly stopped and turned to face him, arms crossed over her chest. "_Of course_ she is. Have you ever known an Alice that wasn't _that_ Alice?"

"I've never known any other Alice."

Lory gave a little laugh before heading back down the hall way. "Then _logically_ she must be that Alice."

He let the subject drop and hoped she wouldn't bring up anything about Alice again. They passed through long hallways, flanked by glass walls, overlooking laboratories and classrooms. In one room in particular, people fully suited in protective gear worked with huge flowering plants. The plants seemed to sway and bob on their own and the flowers occasionally spit out great plums of pollen into the air.

Lory happily explained the research going on in this particular room. "Here we work harvesting the pollen of the yammer flower. It's proven effective in counteracting the effects of most common colds. We'll be marketing it by next year."

As much as the tour was interesting, it wasn't helpful. He tried to act interested, but scientific study didn't answer any of Alice's Questions. He had to think of a way to get Lory talking about any failures, a hard task given how she'd done nothing so far but talk of how excellent things were here. "You have a remarkable facility here. I can see why you beat the Unicorn every year. In fact, I only know of one year the Unicorn out performed you. It's quite the record."

Lory's face soured. "Even pigs get lucky now and then. Follow me," she said, her expression lightening a bit. "I'll show you a few of our awards and commendations, some from the Queen herself."

Lory led him to a large circular room. Bright lights illuminated highly polished brass plaques and long shelves that held numerous awards. He patiently followed Lory, half listening as she pointed out some of the Lions more impressive achievements.

"As you can see we are highly decorated." Lory stopped at a framed letter. "This is from the White Queen herself."

As interesting as a letter from the Queen was, it was the photo next to it that caught Hatter's attention. There were ten men in the picture. Alice's father was in the center of the photo, and next to him, the man that shot him. "Who are those men?"

Lory stopped talking and looked at the photo. "That is a memorial photo of one of our greatest teams. Sadly they were lost to us during a tragic accident."

She pointed to Robert. "This was my father, Robert Levrich. He was Chief administrator before me. And this man," she said, pointing towards the larger man next to him. "Was my uncle Walter. They were the most brilliant men of their time."

Hatter felt his stomach drop and his pulse race. The man who killed Robert was his own brother and Alice's uncle.

Lory reached out and touched his arm, her blue eyes looking him over with concern. "Are you ok? You look rather pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine." he lied. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Lory was Alice's half sister. For the first time since meeting her, he looked at her, _really_ looked at her. The connection made in his mind, he could now see the similarities between Lory and Alice. They both shared the same shape of face and those brilliant blue eyes. They were both slight women and about the same height. If Lory was ten years younger and had darker hair, she and Alice would be unmistakable as sisters.

"Thank you, but it was a long time ago." Lory looked at the picture of her father. "He knew the risks, we all do. We experiment and study the unknown and there's always the chance it could cost us our life."

He hated to press her, but he needed to know what she thought killed her father. "How did it happen, if you don't mind me asking?"

She cleared her throat. "My father studied genetics. He was working on the theory that the biological effects of being born under either the Red or White Queen could be counteracted. It was his dream to find a way to unite both the Red and White Sides again. Unfortunate, the chemicals he was working with were highly unstable. There was a fire in the lab and the chemicals ignited. The whole team as well as all his research was destroyed in the fire."

That made sense. Robert was likely working on evening out the emotional differences between White and Red Siders. He had no idea how the Queen of Hearts found out, but clearly that experiment was what caused her to abduct him and his men.

Lory looked away from the photo, like she couldn't stand to look at it anymore. "I was young when he died, but as his only child it's my duty to follow in his footsteps. I'm not as brilliant as my father, but I am trying to duplicate his research."

She motioned for Hatter to follow her and led him out into the lobby. "Thank you for coming to our University. I hope once the Kingdom of the Knights is rebuilt, that the Lion can come and do field research there."

She extended her hand and he shook it. "It was nice meeting you, and I'll be sure to recommend you to the Knights. Thank you for the tour."

He cautiously looked around before leaving the building, making sure he wasn't going to be pelted with carrots or other vegetables as he left. Once he was sure the coast was clear he hurried back to his sister's. It was a good, long walk back to Karen's and he was grateful for that. He needed the extra time to figure out how he was going to tell Alice all this.

_A/n_

_The Lion and the Unicorn fight for the crown in Through the Looking glass. Neither ever wins so that's why both Universities are always neck and neck. In the book, the Unicorn thinks Alice is a fabulous monster and the Lion questions if she is animal, vegetable, or mineral. Which is what the egg and carrot are reference to. _

_Lory__ is a character appearing in Chapter 2 and 3 of Alice's adventures in Wonderland __Alice's Adventures in Wonderland__, a reference to Lorina Charlotte Liddell, Alice's older sister. Lorina also appears, unnamed, as herself at the beginning of the book._


	33. Alice's past

_A/n_

_Sorry this chapter is so late, life and home improvements cut into my writing time. That said, I'm going to visit my family in Chicago next week so there will likely be no update. However I am on a week long vacation the week after. My plan is to get at least two chapters of this story written and either one chapter of Lessons in love or get started on scanning that night one script. Either way, wish my muse good luck!_

Alice's past

"Alice swung the vorpal blade with all her might, and snicker-snack, cut off the head of the Jabberwock." Karen stood on her bed, cutting at the air with a candlestick. She hopped off the bed and walked over to where Edith sat holding the baby in her arms. "And it was then that Alice was named Champion of Wonderland and rewarded by the White Queen."

"I must have read you girls that story a hundred times, it's no wonder you know it so well." Edith said as she handed the little girl over.

Alice had listened intently as Karen told tales of past Alices. So far, all the stories had followed the same pattern. Each Alice had come to Wonderland by accident, some slipping through the Looking Glass, others falling down the Rabbit Hole. Each girl was dropped into Wonderland with no knowledge of where she was or how to get home. In the process of finding a way home, they somehow got tangled up in one problem or another, and managed to resolve it

This last story had been particularity interesting. This was the last Alice that the White Side had record of. The Alice in this story had sided with the White Queen and helped her fight the Red Queen. "So what happened?"

Karen held her daughter close and cooed over her gently. "The White Queen banished her sister, removing her and all those loyal to her and sending them to the Outlands. Everyone celebrated the great victory and the White Queen granted Alice her wish and sent her back to the old world."

"And Hatter?" That was an interesting part of the story. Apparently, every Alice had a Hatter who helped her on her journey. Something Karen had pointed out with a wink and a nod, saying David made a great Hatter.

Karen continued. "After Alice left, he was miserable without her. He tried to serve the White Queen but she dismissed him, claiming that having him around would only bring her sadness. After many months where he only declined more into despair, the White Queen sent him to the Old World after Alice. And they lived happily ever after."

Alice thought all the stories over. "Everything seems so different. The stories all make Wonderland sound like some great big forest full of fabulous monsters and half-mad people, it's nothing like the towns and cities I've been to."

Edith smiled. "Well, aside from any events that happened on the Red Side, the last Alice was here five hundred years ago, a lot's changed since then."

She laughed over his mother's choice of words. "I've heard that before."

Edith smiled, not understanding what she found so funny. "I'm sure the stories are all exaggerated a bit to make things more exciting and enjoyable to read. I wonder if the Queen has your story written yet."

It wouldn't surprise her if that was true, nothing shocked her anymore. "If she has, I'd like to read it."

"Now that we've had our little story time, I think it's time to talk about more important things." Edith glared at her daughter. "The baby is four days old, she needs a name."

Karen sighed down at the baby. "We just can't come to an agreement. We've talked it over every night, and every night we come up empty handed."

"That's because you keep changing your pick for a name." Edith argued.

That was true; Karen had come up with at least ten more names since they'd arrived yesterday. Her choices had bounced from Agnes to Vixcy to Hope to Abbie. She even suggested naming her Adelaide, which was old Wonderland for Alice. She'd brought that up at breakfast this morning, and Hatter had been the one to squash the idea. He said it was too much of a stigma to name a girl anything resembling Alice.

Karen sat down on the bed, facing Alice. "Well I just haven't found one I really like. And when I do, Thomas argues with me over it."

"What about Lily, or Violet?" Alice said, hoping flower names hadn't already been dismissed.

"Or Sara or Emily, those are nice names." Edith suggested.

Karen shook her head at the suggestions and Alice struggled to come up with more. "How about Sandra, or Rachel?"

"Oh, I like Rachael." Karen repeated the name a few more times, playing with the way it sounded. "I like that, I really do."

Karen quickly handed the baby to Alice before she climbed back into bed. She tucked the covers up around her and rang the bell on her nightstand. "Thomas," she called. "Can you come here please?"

After a moment, Thomas joined them. "Yes, dear?"

Karen settled down into her pillows. "What do you think if the name Rachael?"

"It's ok I guess." He leaned against the doorway, considering the name. "I courted a girl named Rachael once. She was rather lovely, a real sweet girl. I do not object to the name."

Karen's features soured. "Maybe I don't like it now." She then took on an air of suspicion as she looked over her husband. "Are you telling me the truth or just making all this up because you don't like the name?"

He held his hands up in a passive gesture. "Either way we're not keeping the name, are we? Call me again if you three come up with something better." He turned to leave but then stopped. "And please stop hopping around in here, you're supposed to be resting."

Karen pulled the covers up tighter around her. "I am resting, I haven't been up."

Thomas left, bumping into Hatter on his way out. "They're liars, all three of them."

"Good to know." Hatter replied as he joined the girls.

Alice smiled up at him. "Welcome back, everything go ok?"

"Fine, everything went fine."

That was enough to let her know everything wasn't fine. Hatter very rarely spoke in that short of a sentence. Between that and how nervous he looked, it only made her wonder more where he had been. As he made small talk with his mother and sister, her mind raced thinking of the possibilities. She'd have to wait until they were alone to question him further.

Hatter spent the rest of the afternoon doing just about everything he could to avoid being alone with Alice. It wasn't too hard, and the fact that they were leaving tomorrow gave him a viable excuse. He did want to spend as much time with Karen as he could before they left. This was likely the last time he'd get to see her and he didn't want to waste it. It also helped to give him more time to think over exactly what he was going to tell Alice.

Was there really a point to potentially upsetting her over things she had no part in and couldn't change? He knew she wanted to know the truth about her father but that didn't mean he had to tell her about Lory or her uncle. She could never meet Lory or even talk to her, so what was the point of telling her? Likewise there was no need for her to know her father was killed by his own brother, a man she never knew of or cared about.

Of course if he did decide to leave out most of the details, and she somehow found out, she'd accuse him of lying. How she would ever find out without him telling her, he didn't know, but it was his luck that she would. He could only imagine how angry she'd be.

It didn't help that Alice kept trying to get him alone so they could talk. He knew she was dying with curiosity but honestly, he was grateful for the extra time being with his family provided him. As the evening wore on, she eventually gave up trying and headed to bed.

It was late by the time the rest of the family headed off to bed, and later still before he worked up the courage to approach her door. He knocked lightly, hoping that if she was sleeping he wouldn't wake her. It would be a convenient thing if she was asleep. At least then he'd have a few more hours to silently debate with himself the benefits of lying to her.

"Come in." she called. Of course she was awake, why in all of Wonderland would she be anything but awake.

He slowly opened the door, peaking inside and looking cautiously into the room. "That cat in here?"

Alice was sitting in bed, propped up against the pillows. "No, I haven't seen him. I think he meant it when he said he would meet us back home."

He breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that at least he wouldn't run into extra complications because of that beast. "Were you sleeping? I didn't' mean to wake you."

"You didn't wake me, I couldn't fall asleep." She tried to keep her voice even, but he could tell she was anxious. "So... are you going to tell me where you went today?"

He walked to the edge of the bed and motioned for her to scoot over. He decided he'd start by telling her the bare bones facts of what he knew and seeing how she reacted. "I went to the Lion to see what I could find out about your father."

"How did you know he worked for the Lion?" she turned slightly to face him. "And why didn't you tell me?"

He watched the emotions play across her face and couldn't tell what she was feeling more, hurt or anger. Either way he needed to smooth things over with her. "I didn't know anything for certain . I guessed that he worked for the Lion based on the records we looked over. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to be more disappointed then you already were if all this came to nothing."

"Did you find something?" she asked, hope tinging her voice.

He was still struggling with whether or not to tell her the whole truth. "I found out who your father was and what he was doing here."

She turned and rose up on her knees, almost bouncing on the bed. "Really? What did you find?"

Her excited response and the hopeful look she was giving him only made him want to lie to her more if only to protect her. "Now look, there are equal parts good and bad to this. Aside from that, I need you to promise me you won't go looking into any of this yourself."

"Yeah, whatever, I promise. What did you find out?"

She replied so quickly that he was sure she hadn't really heard what he'd said. "No, I'm serious. Promise me that we're going to leave tomorrow and you won't act on any of this."

"Hatter please, you're worrying me. Just tell me what you found." He hesitated and she sighed impatiently. "Hatter, whether I like what I hear or not doesn't matter because it's the truth. It might not be pretty, but I want to know. I already decided that. "

"Your father's name was Robert Leverich. He was the Chief Administrator of the Lion. He was working on evening out the emotional difference in Red and White Siders when the Queen of Hearts abducted him."

She thought quietly for a moment before smiling. "That's great. So he was trying to do something good, right? What's the bad part?"

For as much as Alice acted tough, she really did have a gentle heart. He doubted she would care about her uncle, but she'd likely feel betrayed on her father's behalf. "Your uncle also worked for the Lion, and was abducted just like your father."

"So he's working for Jack now? Have I met him?" she asked.

"No, he's dead. He was the man that shot your father." He hated to put it that bluntly but he couldn't think of any other way to tell her.

"That man was his brother..." He watched as she sat there, staring at her hands. "Do you think they knew that? That they were brothers?"

"No, I don't. The Queen erased their memories and replaced them with some of her own choosing. She wanted them to be loyal to her and her alone. Knowing they had family would work against that loyalty."

"I just hate to think his final thoughts were of how his brother betrayed him."

He took her hand and gently pulled her back to sit next to him. "You were his last thoughts, luv. You brought what memories he did have back. He knew he had a family he loved who loved him back. I doubt he was thinking of much else."

"How did you find all this out? I know you didn't just go in there and ask."

"I went there and told them who I was and that I was interested in seeing the facility and such. The new Chief Administrator, Lory, gave me a tour and showed me around. There was a picture of your dad with the rest of the scientists and when I asked about it, she told me the story."

She curled up at his side and rested her head on his chest. "What did she think happened?"

"There was a fire. Something about the chemicals they were working with being highly combustible."

She made a little noise of understanding before asking the question he'd been dreading the most. "You didn't find out if he had a family here, did you?"

"That woman, Lory, she knew so much about your dad because he was her father as well."

She tensed and looked up at him. "Her father? So she's my sister?"

She didn't look upset and for that he was grateful. "Yeah, apparently. That's why she became a scientist, to finish his work."

"And you won't let me see her, will you?" she asked.

It was a ridiculous question. He'd already stressed to her that she wasn't going to act on any of this. "Absolutely not! For one thing, there's no way you'd be able to keep your composure. Secondly, she's far too interested in you. Even if you weren't her sister, I still wouldn't want you anywhere near her."

She swung her legs over his and settled on his lap. "Really, how is she interested in me?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're _The Alice_. She wants to hook you up in a lab and find out what makes you so special."

She sat on his lap, playing with the hem of his shirt. Occasionally her fingers would brush against his stomach and he was beginning to suspect she was doing it on purpose.

"Ok, you don't want me meeting her and I promised I wouldn't try. So that only leaves me with one option." Her fingers worked from the bottom up, unbuttoning his shirt slowly.

He was surprised at her sudden change of mood. "What's that?"

She pushed his shirt open and lightly ran her nails over his chest. "Since I can't meet her, you're just going to have to tell me everything you know about her. What she looks like, how she talks, how she acts. I want to know every detail."

"Not that I have a problem with that, but what's with all this?" he said, motioning between them.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I just thought I'd give you an incentive to be extra detailed. You don't mind do you?"

"Not at all." He leaned up and captured her mouth in a gentle kiss before he started telling her about her sister.


	34. Changing luck

_A/n_

_I'm so sorry that this chapter is so late. My vacation seemed to give me a bad case of writers block and I struggled a lot with this chapter. Hopefully the next chapter will come quicker._

Changing luck

The morning had gone smoothly. Karen and Thomas drove them to the train station, newly named baby Elizabeth in tow. Tearful goodbyes were exchanged and promises made that they'd visit again if they could find a way. The train arrived exactly on time, they'd boarded without problem, and even left the station a few moments earlier than schedule.

Yet despite how absolutely perfect everything was going, Hatter was completely unnerved. This was too easy. Last night had gone far too well, Alice was being too cooperative, and nothing had happened to stop them from leaving. What really bothered him was how well Alice had taken the news of her sister. The fact that she'd not fought him, but had also agreed with him was just too unlike her.

The train pulled away and he sat nervously twisting the brim of his hat between his fingers. As he watched Alice and his mother leaning along the window waving goodbye to his sister and brother-in-law, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong. Nothing had ever been this easy, not before he met Alice, and certainly not after.

Alice took her seat next to him. Her warm fingers slid over his, stilling them. "You ok?"

He pulled his hand away from hers, jamming his hat back a top his head. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hatter, if this is about riding in the train again..."

"I told you, I don't have a thing about trains!" She recoiled slightly away from him and he sighed, regretting his harsh tone. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to say it like that."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Everything, that's what. There's no Cheshire bothering us, no Oracle's demanding we join them for your dinner party, you're not arguing with me over seeing your sister, everything's just too damn easy."

"You're mad because nothing has gone wrong? Hatter, that makes no sense."

He looked around making sure his mother wasn't listening to their conversation. "My luck has never been good, luv. I guess I'm just waiting for something bad to happen."

She looped her arm through his and squeezed his hand. "Maybe your luck is finally changing?"

Normally he'd be flattered that she chose to turn his words around on him, but right now he wasn't in the mood. "Cute, real cute."

"No, I'm serious. You know there's a saying in my world, 'never look a gift horse in the mouth'." She didn't say anything more and rested her head on his shoulder.

"That makes no sense. Horses don't give gifts, and even if they did, why the hell would you look in a horse's mouth?" He shrugged his shoulder lightly, causing her to rise her head. "Why didn't you push harder to see your sister?"

She sighed and looked away from him. "You were right, I can't have a relationship with her, and I promised you I wouldn't try. Even if I could, I'm part of a truth that she doesn't need to know. There's no point in hurting her."

"How do you figure that? You wanted to know the truth, whether it hurt you or not. What's the difference?"

She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Because she knows what happened to her father. She knows he died; she grieved him and even based her life and career in memory of him. She moved on with her life. Me telling her that he didn't die, that he forgot about her and had a whole new family, none of that has any meaning to her. If he was still alive, it would be different."

She paused, and he could tell her emotions were getting the better of her. "If she had no idea what happened to him then I'd happily tell her the truth. Her life is better for not knowing. It would be selfish of me to meet her and the truth would only disrupt her life."

Hearing things from Alice's point of view made him realize just how big of a mess this situation was. It was such a precarious situation too. On one hand he cursed the Queen of Hearts for stealing Alice's father and putting her through all this. On the other hand, if he'd never been abducted and the Queen hadn't used him the way she did, Alice never would have come to Wonderland and he never would have met her.

"When we go back to my world, I'm not going to tell my mother about this."

That shocked him. Alice wasn't one for telling lies, at least not big ones. "You're going to lie to her about all this?"

"No, I'm going to tell her about wonderland. I have to at this point, there's no other way to explain us." she said, motioning between them. "I'll tell her about dad but I'm not going to tell her about Lory or that he had a family here."

"You don't think she deserves to know?"

Anger flashed in her eyes and her voice slipped into a harsher tone. "Hatter, it's the same thing as Lory. There's nothing she can do about it and at this point it would only upset her. It's bad enough that I'm going to have to tell her dad left us by choice, I'm not about to tell her she was his second wife. In fact, I might just say that the Queen kidnapped him and leave it at that."

She wasn't thinking clearly, she was letting her emotions get the better of her. Alice had a tendency to sacrifice herself if it meant sparing others. "So you're going to spin lies? And what about you, are you just going to carry it around, all on your own shoulders? Why should you be the only one who has to live with the truth?"

She turned to fully face him and slapped her hand down on the arm rest. "I'm fine with it. It's not dad's fault the Queen took his memories away. I'm not going to go spreading the hurt around just so I'm not alone in all this."

"Well, I don't agree with you. I think it's best you be honest with her, for your sake and hers. Lies tend to come back and bite you in the arse."

"I wouldn't want to know."

He looked up to find his mother calmly staring at them. He couldn't say he was really surprised; he'd gotten so wrapped up in arguing with Alice that he'd forgotten he was supposed to be quiet. "Mom, this is really…"

Edith stopped him. "Look, I know it's none of my business, and I don't mean to pry. But when the two of you get arguing it's hard to ignore."

"Of course the great queen of denial wouldn't want to know." She shot him a stern glare but he ignored it. He wasn't about to spare her feelings especially since she wasn't taking his side. "You're honesty going to tell me that if dad had another family somewhere, you wouldn't want to know?"

"Not if he were gone, no. What would the point be? I couldn't question him about it and I'd live the rest of my life wondering if he ever really loved me. It would make me doubt every moment we ever shared together. That kind of thing can destroy someone, David."

His mother picked up her needle work and went back to her stitching. "And don't give Alice a hard time about lying to protect someone ether. You know you've been lying to _me_ since you got back. So don't go pointing fingers at her unless you have a few pointing back at yourself."

Alice smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. "Thank you Edith, at least someone sees my point."

He gave up. There was no point in arguing with either his mother or Alice. "Well… we'll just see how this all plays out, won't we?"

* * *

Alice sighed and stretched as she stood up from her seat. She'd chosen not to nap this time around, and was relieved to finally be up and moving again. Hatter had long since dropped the subject of lying and thankfully they hadn't argued the rest of the trip.

Kenny was there to greet them as they exited the train. "Did you bring me back a nice souvenir?" He asked as he hugged Edith.

"I brought you photos of your niece."

"So… nothing useful then? No candy or chocolates?" Kenny pouted.

Hatter dug around in his pocket, pulling something out and handing it to Kenny. "I have a few mints they gave us on the train. You can have them if ya like."

Kenny pushed his brother's hand away. "There's no time for joking now, we've got to get home before it stops happening."

Alice looked up at Kenny. "Before what stops happening?"

Kenny grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her up the station stairs and onto the main street. She squinted a moment before her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. There were people everywhere, hurrying along the street and working on decorating the buildings. Purple and blue banners were hung along windows and over doors. Bundles of bright blue flowers were attached to light posts and strung along the backs of numerous vender carts.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Kenny stepped behind her and gripped her shoulders tightly. "Why, my dear Alice, all this is for you." he said, waving his hand at the spectacle before them.

Hatter pushed his brother's hands off her. "What the hell do you mean, this is for her?"

"The whole town's in an uproar," Kenny explained. "Ever since the Cheshire announced that Alice of Legend would be an honored guest at his ceremony, he's demanded double the food, flowers, and entertainers as the usual festival."

She groaned and buried her face in her hands. She agreed to spend the day with Cheshire, not be made a spectacle of.

Hatter ran is hand up and down her back. "I hate to say this, but I told you so, luv. That damn feline is nothing but trouble. He's tricked ya into all this because he's a manipulative…"

Edith reached up and yanked Hatter's ear, tugging hard enough that his hat fell from his head. "David Terrian Temple, you will not speak of our lord that way!"

Hatter winced and tried to pull away from his mother. "Ow, mom, stop it!"

Edith didn't let go, pulling at his ear harder and making him bend down to her level. "The Cheshire has done a lot for our people. The whole purpose of the festival is to thank him for that. If he wishes to honor Alice during this time then we should respect that."

"Mom, could you let him go?" Kenny asked. "We need to hurry home, Dad's waiting for us."

Edith gave Hatter a pointed look before releasing him. "Where is your father anyway? Why didn't he come with you?"

Kenny took her arm and pulled her along the street. "He's at home, entertaining our guest."

Hatter retrieved his fallen hat, dusting it off before popping it back on his head. "And who might that be?"

"It's a surprise, but we have to hurry." Kenny called back, already a good distance away from them.

"Terrian?" she asked. She never asked him his middle name before but she never would have guessed the name Terrian.

He looked down at her before gesturing around them. "This is your fault. Your fault for encouraging him, talking to him, liking him…"

"Don't change the subject," She laughed. "Really, Terrian?"

"It's a family name, my granddad's actually." He straightened his posture and held his chin high. "I don't think it's silly, I'm proud of it."

She laughed. "I never said it was silly."

"Right, that's because it's not."

She walked away, hurrying to catch up with the others. "Come on, Terrian, hurry up!"

"Don't call me that!" He shouted as he hurried behind her.

* * *

Kenny was practically humming with excitement as they made the walk home. It didn't matter how much they pestered him, he wouldn't tell them who was waiting for them at the house. It wasn't until they walked into the kitchen that Alice finally saw why he was so happy.

Harold sat at the table, his face pale and ashen. The Cheshire sat on the table staring at him, his tail slowly flicking back and forth.

"Welcome home," Cheshire purred, his eyes still focused on Harold. "We were just talking about you."

Edith hurried to the table, standing next to Harold, her hands clasped in front of her chest. "Lord Cheshire, what a pleasant surprise! Thank you so much for gracing us with your presence."

Alice didn't know why the Cheshire would be here like this. As far as she knew he'd only shown himself to her and Hatter. There was no reason for him to show up like this around Hatter's family unless he was trying to start trouble.

Kenny leaned in between her and Hatter, keeping his voice to a low whisper. "He showed up right as we were leaving to pick you up."

"And you just left Dad here alone with him?" surprisingly, Hatter seemed genuinely concerned with his father's well being.

"Well it's not like the Cheshire was going to eat him. Besides, it's nice to see Dad sweat a bit every now and then." Kenny argued. "I thought you'd get a laugh out of this."

Hatter and Kenny were interrupted by the loud scrape of a chair against the floor. Harold got up and stood slightly behind Edith. "The Cheshire was just telling me how fortunate we are that Alice has taken an interest in our son."

Edith seemed oblivious to the tension between Harold and Cheshire. "Yes, it is lovely. I hear you are going to honor Alice at your celebration this year. It's very flattering, isn't it, dear?"

Alice wasn't so sure about that. The Cheshire was taking this whole celebration thing to a level she wasn't comfortable with.

Hatter grabbed Kenny by the arm, pulling him closer so he didn't have to speak as loudly. "How could I be happy about this? There's no difference between him bothering Dad or bothering Alice, it all affects me. It's just another way for him to aggravate me!"

"You boys have something you'd like to share?" Cheshire asked. He was smiling, looking quite proud of the chaos he was creating.

"No, but I do." She stalked over to Cheshire. "We agreed that I would join you at this… whatever the hell it is. I never agreed to be paraded around or have everyone think that I'm Alice of Legend."

Cheshire cocked his head sideways and grinned. "You said you would join me, this is all part of it. Tomorrow, everyone will see you at my side. They needed to know who you were so they can pay you proper respect."

"Those people don't need to respect me. I've done nothing for them." She argued.

Cheshire flexed his claws, lightly dragging them across the table. "Not directly, no. Still what is the harm in allowing the people of this little town a chance to honor The Alice of Legend? They are all very happy about it."

"Alice, we should mind the Cheshire. There's no harm in indulging him." Harold said, giving her a pleading look, silently asking her to agree with him.

Harold wasn't an easy man to intimidate. Cheshire must have threatened him in some way to make him act like this. "Why are you bothering David's family anyway? "

"I was just making sure Mr. Temple knew how important David is to you. You'll be leaving in a few days and I wanted to make sure David had pleasant memories of home."

As always with the Cheshire, she couldn't tell if he was being honest or not. He'd never taken Hatter's feelings into consideration before and she doubted he would start now.

Whatever he'd said to Harold, it seemed to have forced a turnaround in his attitude. "Of course David is important to Alice. He's important to all of us really. I'm very proud of what he's done."

"This is ridiculous." Hatter said, turning and walking to the far side of the kitchen.

Cheshire hopped off the table, following Hatter. "I thought you'd be happy to hear a few encouraging words from your father."

Hatter spun around. "Since when do you care if I'm happy or not?"

"David, please be more respectful." Edith scolded.

"No, it's all right," Cheshire said his voice calm and smooth. "David can speak to me however he likes. I don't control him, do I Alice?"

"That's it, outside, now!" Alice didn't wait for him to answer. She stormed outside, slamming the door behind her and heading to the benches in the garden.

Cheshire was out there waiting for her, sitting on the tree swing. "What's wrong now? I'm playing nice."

"Threatening Hatter's family is not what I call playing nice."

The door slammed shut again and she turned to see Hatter hurrying towards them. "I want you to stop this! Whatever you're playing at, it ends now!"

"I'm not playing at anything."Cheshire vanished from the swing and reappeared on Alice's shoulder. "I was trying to make you happy. Haven't you always yearned for daddy's approval? I'm just giving you what you want."

"By forcing him to lie? Yeah, that's really great, just what I've always dreamed of. Why don't you put a knife to his back and make him say he loves me?"

"I could, if it would make you happy." Hatter reached out to grab Cheshire and surprisingly, the cat didn't disappear from his grasp.

He held the cat by the scruff of his neck, letting his body dangle in the air. "What would make me happy is to never see you again."

"I'm afraid I can't promise you that. Your fate is far beyond my control." Cheshire glanced backwards, giving her a piteous look. "I really am trying to be nice, Alice. You see how he treats me?"

She shook her head. "I'm not defending you this time."

Cheshire vanished and popped up behind them. "Fine, I'll make myself scarce until tomorrow. Alice, your dress for the festival is at Jenkin's clothing shop. You remember where that is, don't you Davie? I think you have a letter for Megan."

Cheshire slowly faded away, leaving them alone in the garden. Hatter slumped down onto the bench. "I hate that damn cat." He looked up at her. "Do you still trust him?"

"I don't know," she said, sitting down next to him. "Maybe he really was just trying to make you happy."

"Yeah and maybe he just likes messing with our heads."

"Either way, all we have to do is get through tomorrow. We'll leave and you'll never have to deal with him again." She really didn't believe that any more than she thought Hatter did, but it made her feel better to say it. "So, who do you have a letter for?"

Hatter hunched over slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "It's for Lettie's mom. I haven't been looking forward to being the one who gives it to her."

"You think she'll be angry with you?"

"For helping her only daughter run away from home? Wouldn't you be angry with me?" he asked.

She stood and held out her hand to him. "Well, you're the one who was complaining that things were going too easy. "

He took her hand and stood. "Guess now's as good a time as any to test my luck."

_A/n_

_Poor Cheshire, even when he's trying to be nice, he still comes across as a jerk. Maybe he'll make up for it later. Thanks for reading and sticking with me through this writers block of mine. _


	35. Frustrations

_A/n_

_Sorry this took so long. I'm finally feeling like writing again but it was rough going for a bit there. If you don't remember what going on, all you have to do is read the end of last chapter. That should get you caught up. This is kind of a short chapter so to make up for it I've put a bonus fic at the end. Thanks for reading._

Frustrations

To say Megan was angry was an understatement. The minute they walked into her shop, she'd been hostile to Hatter. He tried to talk to her, explain to her what happened with Lettie and James, but she wouldn't hear it. She wouldn't even touch the letter when he offered it to her.

"She's not here! I don't need to hear what happened from you, I need my daughter." Megan pulled Alice into a fitting room and closed the curtain behind them.

"She wrote you a letter. She wanted you to know what happened and why she couldn't come back." He was met with only silence from the room. "If you'd just read her letter…"

The curtain slid open and Megan stormed out, a half dressed Alice staring at her as she left. The woman's hand met Hatter's chest with a hearty shove and he stumbled backwards. Growing up, he'd never once feared Megan. Now, the petite woman was staring him down like a Jabberwock chasing its' pray.

"A letter is _not_ my child. A letter can't explain anything to me and the ink on that paper is cold and meaningless." She continued advancing on him forcing him to backpedal.

" A letter doesn't mend my heart or help me to stop worrying about my only little baby…" Tears welled in her eyes and she angrily wiped them away. "She has no right to send me a letter when all I want is her. "

She opened the door to the shop and pushed him out on the steps. "I don't want that letter and I don't want to see you anymore, David. You don't get to show up here offering hope and promises and then deliver none of them. You go back to that city of yours and tell my daughter to come home!"

Megan slammed the door before he had a chance to say a word. He spent the rest of Alice's fitting on the steps locked out of the shop. It hurt that Megan was so angry with him and Lettie. Megan had always been a quiet, sweet woman. To see her so bitter and angry, he couldn't help but feel responsible for that.

Honestly, he could see no way to fix this. If Lettie had made the trip back with him and Alice, then she'd always have the chance to stay behind. Now, even if she did want to come home, she'd have no way of getting there. He could think of no way she could feasibly return home without her identity as a White Sider being reveled. There was still the very real fact that being found out could cost her life.

Behind him the door opened. Alice stepped out and hurried down the steps dressed in only a knee length slip. "Give me the letter."

"Has she agreed to read it?" Maybe Alice had managed a change of heart in Megan.

"Just hurry up and give me the letter." Alice shook her hand impatiently at him. He handed her the letter and watched as she disappeared back inside the shop.

He wondered what was going on inside but knew better than to chance finding out. If Alice had made any headway with Megan, he didn't want to interrupt the two of them. He'd just have to wait it out and hope Alice could talk some reason into her.

He sighed and looked back out into the street. Two men were standing there, staring at the doorway Alice had just come through.

"What are you looking at?" he snapped.

The men lowered their gaze and hurried on their way.

* * *

Waiting was hard. Hours passed before Alice emerged from the shop, black garment bag hung over her arm.

"Well?" he asked.

"She's still angry, but she did read the letter." She sat down next to him on the steps, her arm looping through his. "Hatter, you know none of this is your fault, right? Megan's not mad at you and she doesn't blame you. She just wants her daughter back."

He may not be completely to blame for all that had happened, but the responsibility for fixing things was his. "What am I to do? Even if Lettie wants to come back, how am I to get her here?"

She got up and pulled him to his feet. "Come on, We'll think of something."

* * *

The sun was setting as they made their way up the winding path to his parent's house. Kenny sat on the front steps, cigarette in hand and several butts littered in a nearby ashtray.

"How long could it possibly take for a single dress fitting?" he said, crushing the remains of his cigarette.

Alice just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "What can I say? Women are complicated creatures. "

Kenny returned her smile with one of his own. "I'll bet they had a hard time finding a dress to match your beauty."

Hatter just shook his head as Alice teased his brother about flirting. They were laughing but Hatter didn't miss the nervous glances Kenny kept giving him. Kenny wouldn't be sitting outside chain smoking unless there was a reason. "Alice, you mind giving me and Kenny a minute?"

"Sure. I'll just go take care of this." She said, gesturing to the garment bag.

He watched as Alice disappeared around the back of the house before he looked down at his brother. "Have you been waiting out here for me to come back?"

"Yeah. Look, Davie, I've got something to tell ya and I need ya to promise you'll hear me out."

That wasn't a good sign. The last time Kenny had asked him to 'hear him out' it had been because he'd 'accidently' killed his pet mora mouse with a crochet mallet. "All right, I'll listen."

"Great." There was a long pause before he continued. "What I want to tell ya is that I'm coming with you to the Red Side."

That was enough. He had no idea why Kenny would want to travel to the Red Side and he didn't care either. Things were already too complicated without Kenny mucking things up. "No! No way, not happening!"

Kenny got to his feet jabbing a finger into his brother's chest. "You promised you'd listen!"

"Yeah I did and I'm done. " Hatter shoved Kenny back and started towards the house.

"You haven't even heard what I have to say yet." Kenny yelled after him.

Hatter didn't intend to carry on a pointless conversation. Whatever reason Kenny had for wanting to follow him was unimportant. "I don't care, the suggestion alone is madness!"

"Look, you're leaving and Lettie needs…"

That got his attention. "No! Are you mad? After everything you've done to her, do you really think she wants to see you? She _hates_ you."

Kenny stood up straight, his eyes taking on a hard defiant gleam. "You don't know that. She's angry with me because of James but she cared for me before that. Besides, it's not in Lettie's nature to hate, you know that."

Every word Kenny spoke only made Hatter angrier. This was the same fight they had fifteen years ago and all those old feelings were beginning to surface again. "You think she's going to forgive you? Hell, I hardly forgive you. You were an ass! If you cared about her or her feelings, you would have listened to her when she said she didn't want to marry you."

Kenny threw his hands up. "You know, I really thought that you being a grown man now and in love with a woman of your own would change your view of things a bit. It hurts knowing that after all these years you still can't see things from my point of view."

"No, I'll never understand how forcing someone to be with you is a good thing. If you really loved her, and I don't believe you did, you would have put her happiness above your own."

This was what he got for telling the truth. Days ago when Kenny had asked about how Lettie was doing, he'd done it so casually that there didn't seem reason to lie. Now he wished he had. If he would have just said that she and James were fine, Kenny would have dropped the subject and they wouldn't be fighting now.

Kenny clenched his jaw in frustration. "I was to just let her go then? I wasn't allowed to fight for her? I should have just let her run off with some man she'd only known a few weeks? Honestly, that's what you expected of me?"

"It didn't matter how long she knew him, she loved him." Hatter shouted.

"I loved her!" Kenny shouted back. He turned and walked a few paces, his fist clenched at his side. "I don't care if you believe me or not but I did and still do love Lettie. I never stopped loving her, not for a second. If I have even the smallest chance of gaining her favor, I want to try."

Silence fell between them. Hatter was normally good at arguing his point but at the moment he was at a loss for words. What was he to say?

"You're still siding with James." Kenny's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Tell me, was he a better brother than me?"

Hatter shook his head. "Don't. You can't ask me to make a comparison."

Kenny sat back down on the steps defeated. "You would rather see her end up alone or, Queen forbid it, with some heartless Red Sider than you would see her be with me."

That wasn't entirely true. Still, James wasn't here to defend his wife so Hatter felt the need to do so. "I don't want her to be alone, but she won't end up with you. You're likely to just make a fool of yourself."

"I still love her." Kenny gave him a weak smile. "I've spent half my life making a fool of myself, why should I stop now."

"Are you two ok? I could hear you all the way upstairs." Alice walked up cautiously and stood between the two of them.

"We're fine," said Kenny. "Davie here was just telling me how to live my life, again."

"Alice, ignore him." Hatter didn't want her involved in this, mostly because she was likely to be swayed into siding with Kenny.

He tried to pull her inside but she wouldn't budge. "Kenny?"

His brother gave Alice a look of pure pity. "I'd like to go with you to the Red side and try to get Lettie back. Even if she doesn't want anything to do with me, I just… want to see her one last time."

Kenny was playing her like a fiddle. If he'd been pulling this pity crap she'd see right through it but for some reason she was letting Kenny getting away with it. "I don't see any reason why you couldn't come back with us."

Hatter pulled on her arm to get her attention. "How do you propose we get him in the Scarab? We can't just tuck him into a bag and pass him off as luggage."

"Hatter, you're not looking at this the right way. We were trying to find a way to get Lettie back here. This is perfect. Kenny can just bring her home."

Kenny got up and slung his arm around her shoulder. "Yeah_, Hatter_, listen to your woman she has a good point."

Inwardly, he winced as his brother used his nickname. "Don't call me that."

He looked back and forth between Alice and his brother. He was outnumbered at this point and there was no argument he could make that would change either of their minds. "Fine, you two scheme up a way to get Kenny across Sides without all of us losing our heads. I want no part of this."

He walked away, ignoring Kenny's calls to come back. He couldn't believe that just this morning he was complaining about things going too well. If he had known the complications the rest of his day was going to bring, he would have enjoyed the peace.

_A/n_

_While waiting for my writers block to go away on this story, I did write a new story called In Session. It's a short multi-chapter story and is complete if you want to check it out. _

Bonus fic

_A/n_

_Wow, lots of author's notes today. This is a short scene that takes place before Lettie and James ran away. Hopefully it gives a bit of prospective on Kenny's feelings._

"Please, Kenneth, you need to understand!"

Kenny looked down at Lettie. Her face was stained with tears and her eyes were red from crying. He hated seeing her like this but there was no way he was going give in to her. What she was asking was impossible.

"What do you want me to understand? That you're in love with someone you hardly even know? That you would rather marry a complete stranger than someone you've known your whole life? You're promised to me, Lettie. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"I didn't choose to fall in love with him, it just happened." She sat down in a chair and buried her face in her hands. "I didn't mean for this to happen but it did. I can't marry you."

He knelt down before her and took her hands in his. "It's not real. What you feel for him is just a passing fancy. In time you'll forget about him."

She shook her head and more tears fell. "It's not."

"Yes, it is. I love you, you know that. I can provide for you and take care of you. James has nothing, his family has nothing." Kenny got to his feet and put his jacket on.

He felt Lettie's hands press against his back as she leaned into him. "Please, Kenneth, I'm going to marry James and I'll do what I have to for it to happen. Tell your father to let me out of the contract."

She sounded so desperate then and he couldn't help but turn and hold her. "I won't. This is what's best for both of us. One day you'll thank me for not letting you go." He kissed her forehead and was pleased she didn't flinch away. "You're my Lettie, you always will be."

He turned to leave but stopped when her hand slipped into his. She looked up at him, her eyes clearer now. "Goodbye, Kenneth."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lettie."

Kenny left that day thinking that maybe things weren't as hopeless as he thought. She'd care for him again once they were married and James was out of the picture.

That night, David threw a fit over the marriage. It was a stab in the back that his little brother was siding with James over him. He locked himself in his room and was thankful when his father and brother finally stopped yelling.

It would be three more days of this. Three more days of arguing with his brother and trying to keep Lettie from seeing James; trying as hard as he could to keep his whole life from falling apart. He just needed to get past this and then everything would be fine.

He woke the next morning to the sound of his mother crying. David was gone. A few hours later he learned that Lettie and James were both missing as well. They ran off, the three of them.

That day, Kenny's world fell apart and he'd spend the rest of his life trying to put it back together.


End file.
